PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


SAe//.. 


BX  9458 

.G7  S5 

1867 

Smiles, 

Samuel 

,  1812- 

1904.   . 

The  Huguenots 

:  their 

settlements, 

::hurche 

s  and 

THE  HUGUENOTS: 


THEIR 


SETTLEMENTS,  CHURCHES,  AND    INDUSTRIES 
IN  ENGLAND  AND  IRELAND. 


By  SAMUEL  smiles, 

AUTHOR    OF  "self-help,"   "  LIVES   OF   THE   ENGINEERS,"  ETC. 


WITH    AN    APPENDIX    RELATING    TO 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 


NEW    YORK: 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-s3ven.  by 

IIarpee  &  Brothers 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  he  Southern  District  of 
New  York. 


PRE  FACE. 


The  geographical  position  of  Britain  has,  from  the  ear- 
liest times,  rendered  it  a  country  of  refuge.  Fronting  Eu- 
rope, yet  separated  from  it  by  a  deep  sea -moat,  the  pro- 
scribed of  other  lands  have  by  turns  sought  the  protection 
of  the  island  fortress,  and  made  it  their  home.  To  the 
country  of  the  Britons  the  Saxons  brought  their  industry, 
the  Northmen  their  energy,  and  the  Flemings  and  French 
their  skill  and  spirit  of  liberty ;  and  out  of  the  whole  has 
come  the  English  nation. 

The  early  industry  of  England  was  almost  entirely  pas- 
toral. Down  to  a  comparatively  recent  period  it  was  a 
great  grazing  countrj^,  and  its  principal  staple  was  wool. 
The  English  people  being  as  yet  unskilled  in  the  arts  of 
manufacture,  the  wool  was  bought  up  by  foreign  mer- 
chants, and  exported  abroad  in  large  quantities,  principal- 
ly to  Flanders  and  France,  there  to  be  manufactured  into 
cloth,  and  partly  returned  in  that  form  for  sale  in  the  En- 
glish markets. 

The  English  kings,  desirous  of  encouraging  home  in- 
dustry, held  out  repeated  inducements  to  foreign  artisans 
to  come  over  and  settle  in  the  country  for  the  purpose  of 
instructing  their  subjects  in  the  industrial  arts.  This  poli- 
c}^  was  pursued  during  many  successive  reigns,  more  par- 
ticularly in  that  of  Edward  III. ;  and,  by  the  middle  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  large  numbers  of  Flemish  artisans, 
driven  out  of  the  Low  Countries  by  the  tyranny  of  the 
trades-unions  as  well  as  bj  civil  war,  embraced  the  offers 


vi  FREFA  CE. 

held  out  to  them,  settled  in  various  parts  of  England,  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  English  skilled  industry.* 

But  by  far  the  most  important  migrations  of  skilled 
foreigners  out  of  Europe  were  occasioned  by  the  religious 
persecutions  which  prevailed  in  Flanders  and  France  for 
a  considerable  period  after  the  Keformation.  Two  great 
waves  of  foreign  population  then  flowed  over  from  the 
Continent  into  England — probably  the  largest  in  point  of 
numbers  which  have  occurred  since  the  date  of  the  Saxon 
settlement.  The  first  took  place  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  consisted  partly  of  French,  but  prin- 
cipally of  Flemish  Protestants ;  the  second,  toward  the  end 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  consisted  almost  entirely  of 
French  Huguenots. 

The  second  of  these  emigrations,  consequent  on  the  re- 
ligious persecutions  which  followed  the  Revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV.,  was  of  extraordinary  mag- 
nitude. According  to  Sismondi,  the  loss  which  it  occa- 
sioned to  France  was  not  far  short  of  a  million  of  persons, 
and  those  her  best  and  most  industrious  subjects.  Al- 
though the  circumstances  connected  with  this  remarkable 
exodus,  as  well  as  the  events  which  flowed  from  them,  ex- 
ercised an  important  influence  on  the  political  as  well  as 
industrial  history  of  Northern  Europe,  they  have  as  yet, 
viewed  in  this  connection,  received  but  slight  notice  at  the 
hands  of  the  historian. 

It  is  the  object  of  the  following  book  more  particularly 
to  give  an  account  of  the  causes  which  led  to  this  last  great 
migration  of  foreign  Protestants  from  France  into  England, 
and  to  describe  its  effects  upon  English  industry  as  well  as 
English  history.  The  author  merely  offers  the  book  as  a 
contribution  to  the  subject,  which  seems  to  him  to  be  one 
well  worthy  of  farther  investigation. 
London,  Juhj,  1867. 

*  See  Appendix  for  account  of  the  "  Early  yettlement  of  Foreign  Arti- 
sans in  England." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INVENTION   OF    PRINTING. — RISE   OF   THE   HUGUENOTS. 

Invention  of  Printing. — Dearness  of  MS.  Books. — Power  conferred  on  Ed- 
ucated Men  by  Printing. — Coster,  Gutenburg,  SchcefFer. — The  first  printed 
Bible. — Faust  of  Mainz. — Diffusion  of  Printing. — Spread  of  printed  Bi- 
bles.— Opposed  by  the  Priests. — Effects  of  reading  the  Bible. — Luther's 
Translation. — Bibles  printed  at  Antwerp. — Eager  Demand  for  the  Scrip- 
tures.— Ecclesiastical  Abuses  assailed. — The  Reformation  at  Meaux. — 
Jacques  Lefevre. — Resistance  of  the  Sorbonne. — Burning  of  Bibles  and 
Printers. — Rise  of  the  Huguenots Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

EPISODE    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    BERNARD   PALISSY. 

The  Life  of  Palissy  illustrative  of  his  Epoch. — His  Birth  and  Education. — 
Travels  through  France,  Germany,  and  Flanders. — The  prevailing  Excite- 
ment.— Palissy  joins  "The  Religion." — Life  at  Saintes. — His  pursuit  of 
the  Secret  of  the  Enamel. — His  Sufferings. — Calvin  at  Saintonge. — Pa- 
lissy begins  a  Reformed  Church  at  Saintes. — The  early  Gospellers. — Phil- 
ebert  Hamelin. — Progress  of  "The  Religion."  —  The  Persecutions  at 
Saintes. — Palissy  employed  by  the  Duke  of  Montmorency. — Imprisoned 
at  Bordeaux. — Liberated  and  made  Royal  Potter. — Dies  for  his  Religion 
in  the  Bastile 31 

CHAPTER  III. 

PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED  IN  FRANCE  AND  FLANDERS. 

Huguenot  Men  of  Genius. — Spread  of  "The  Religion." — Charles  IX.  and 
Catharine  de  Medicis. — A  National  Council  held. — The  Chancellor  de 
THopital. — Catharine's  Letter  to  the  Pope. — Outbreak  of  Persecution. — 
Massacre  of  Vassy. — The  Duke  of  Guise  :  Triumph  of  his  Policy. — Mas- 
sacres throughout  France.  —  Civil  War.  —  The  Iconoclasts. — Treaty  of 
Peace. — Council  of  Trent. — Catharine  de  Medicis  and  the  Duke  of  Alva. 
— Ignatius  Loyola. —  Persecutions  in  Flanders. —  Philip  II.  of  Spain. — 
Devastation  of  the  Low  Countries  and  Flight  of  the  Protestants. — Mar- 


CONTENTS. 


riage  of  Henry  of  Navarre  and  Margaret  of  France. — Attempted  Assas- 
sination of  Admiral  Coligny. — Massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew. — Rejoic- 
ings at  Rome. — Death  of  Charles  IX. — Flight  of  Huguenots. — Renewed 
Civil  War. — Accession  of  Henry  IV. — The  Edict  of  Nantes Page  50 

CHAPTER  IV. 

RELATIONS  OF  ENGLAND  WITH  FRANCE  AND  SPAIN. 

England  at  the  Accession  of  Elizabeth. — The  Pope  denies  the  Queen's  Le- 
gitimacy.— Plots  against  her  Life. — The  English  Asylum  granted  to  the 
Foreign  Protestants  a  cause  of  Offense  abroad. — Demands  that  the  Fugi- 
tives be  expelled  the  Kingdom. — The  Pope  denounces  the  Refugees. — 
Bishop  Jewel's  Defense  of  them.  —  French  and  Spanish  Plots  against 
Elizabeth. — Mary  Queen  of  Scots. — The  Pope's  Bull  against  Elizabeth. — 
The  Bishop  of  Ross  and  Ridolfi. — Conference  at  Madrid. — The  Plots  de- 
feated.— News  of  the  Massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew  arrive  in  England. 
— Reception  of  the  French  Embassador  by  Elizabeth. — Execution  of  the 
Queen  of  Scots. — Continued  Flight  of  the  Refugees  from  Flanders. — De- 
feat of  the  Sacred  Armada. — The  Reigns  of  Philip  II.  and  Elizabeth  con- 
trasted    71 

CHAPTER  V. 

SETTLEMENTS  AND   INDUSTRIES   OF   THE   PROTESTANT  REFCGEES    IN  BRITAIN. 

Early  English  Industry. — The  Woolen  Manufacture. — Extensive  Immigra- 
tions of  Flemish  Protestant  Artisans. — Landings  at  Sandwich,  Rye,  and 
Dover. — Their  Settlement  at  Sandwich. — Cloth-making  and  Gardening 
introduced. — The  Flemings  in  London. — Their  Industries. — Dye-works  at 
Bow. — Native  Jealousy. — The  Flemish  Merchants. — Numbers  of  the  Im- 
migrants.— Settlement  at  Norwich. — Protected  by  Queen  Elizabeth. — Es- 
tablishment of  the  Cloth  Manufacture. — Flemish  Lace-makers. — Workers 
in  Iron  and  Steel. — Fishing  Settlement  at  Yarmouth. — Drainers  of  the 
Fen-lands.^ — Settlements  in  Ireland. — Flemings  in  Scotland. — Reaction- 
ary Policy  of  Charles  I.  summarily  checked 85 

CHAPTER  VI. 

EARLY   WALLOON   AND   FRENCH   CHURCHES    IN   ENGLAND. 

Desire  of  the  Refugees  for  Freedom  of  Worship. — The  first  Walloon  and 
French  Churches  in  London. — Dutch  Church  in  Austin  Friars. — French 
Church  in  Thrcadneedlc  Street. — Churches  at  Sandwich,  Rye,  Norwich. 
— "God's  House"  at  Southampton. — Register  of  their  Church. — Their 
Fasts  and  Thanksgivings. — Walloon  Church  at  Canterbury. — Memorial 
of  the  Refugees. — The  Undercroft  in  Canterbuiy  Cathedral. — The  Lady 
Chapel. — Occupation  of  the  Undercroft  by  the  Walloons. — The  French 
Church  still  in  Canterbury  Cathedral 113 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

RENEWAL   OF  THE   PERSECUTIONS   IN   FRANCE. — REVOCATION    OF   THE   EDICT 
OF   NANTES. 

Assassination  of  Henry  IV. — Marie  de  Medicis. — Renewal  of  Civil  War  in 
France. — Cardinal  Richelieu. — Siege  of  Rochelle. — The  Huguenots  sup- 
pressed as  a  Political  Body.— Edict  of  Pardon. — Loyalty  of  the  Hugue- 
nots.— Their  Industry. — Their  Manufactures. — Their  Integrity  as  Mer- 
chants.— Colbert. — Absolutism  of  Louis  XIV. — His  Ambition. — His  Ex- 
travagance.— His  Enmity  to  tlie  Huguenots. — The  Persecution  renewed. 
— Emigration  prohibited.  —  Cruel  Edicts  of  Louis.  —  His  Amours  and 
"Conversion." — Madame  de  Maintenon. — Attempt  to  purchase  Hugue- 
not Consciences. — Abduction  of  Protestant  Children. — The  Dragonnades. 
— Wholesale  Conversions. —  The  Protestant  Churches  destroyed.  —  Inci- 
dent at  Saintonge. — Dragonnades  in  Beam. — Louis  XIV.  revokes  the 
Edict  of  Nantes,  and  marries  Madame  de  Maintenon Page  128 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

RENEWED   FLIGHT   OF   THE    HUGUENOTS   FROM   FRANCE. 

Rejoicings  at  Rome  on  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict. — Bossuet's  and  Massil- 
lon's  praises  of  Louis  XIV. — Consequences  of  the  Revocation. — The  Mil- 
itary Jacquerie. — Demolition  of  Protestant  Churches. — Employment  of 
the  Huguenots  proscribed. — Pursued  beyond  Death. — M.  de  Chenevix. — 
Conversion  or  Flight. — Escape  of  Literary  and  Scientific  Men. — Schom- 
berg,  Ruvigny,  Duquesne. —  The  Banished  Pastors. —  Historical  Signifi- \ 
cance  of  the  Exodus. — General  Flight  of  the  Huguenots. — Closing  of  the 
Frontier. — Capture  and  Punishment  of  the  Detected. — Flight  in  Disguise. 
— Flight  of  Women. — Jean  Marteilhe  of  Bergerac. — The  Captured  con- 
demned to  the  Galleys. — Louis  de  Marolles. — John  Huber. — The  Flight 
by  Sea. — Count  de  Marancc. — The  Lord  of  Castelfranc. — The  Misses 
Raboteau. — Case  of  a  French  Gentlewoman  Refugee. — Fumigation  of 
Ships'  Holds. — Numbers  of  the  Fugitives  from  France. — A  Death-blow 
given  to  French  Industry i 162 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   HUGUENOTS    AND   THE   ENGLISH   REVOLUTION   OF    1688. 

The  Counties  of  the  Refuge. — The  Asylum  of  Geneva. — The  Huguenots  in 
Switzerland;  in  Brandenburg  and  Germany. — Holland  "The  Great  Ark 
of  the  Fugitives." — Eminent  Refugees  in  the  Low  Countries. — Their  Hos- 
pitable Reception  by  the  Dutch. — Refugee  Soldiers  and  Sailors. — Wil- 
liam, Prince  of  Orange :  his  Relation  to  the  English  Throne. — The  Stuart 
Kings  and  the  Protestant  Refugees. — Accession  of  James  II.:  compared 
with  Louis  XIV. — Attempts  to  suppress  Protestantism. — Popular  Reac- 
tion.— William  of  Orange  invited  over  to  England. — French  Hnguenot 
Officers  and  Soldiers  in  the  Dutch  Army. — Marshal  Schomberg 171 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DUMOKT   DE   BOSTAQUET. — HIS    ESCAPE   FKOM   FRANCE   INTO   HOLLAND. 

Dumont  de  Bostaquet,  a  Protestant  Gentleman  of  Normandy :  his  Church 
at  LindebcEuf  demolished. — Dragonnades  in  Normand}'. — Scenes  at  Rou- 
en.— Soldiers  quartered  in  Protestant  Families. — De  Bostaquet  promises 
Abjuration. — His  Family  pretend  to  abjure. — They  meditate  Flight  from 
France. — Attempted  Escape. — Journey  to  the  Sea-coast. — Attacked  by 
the  Coast-guard. — De  Bostaquet  Wounded. — His  Flight  through  Picardy, 
and  SuiFerings. — Refuge  in  Holland Page  192 

CHAPTER  XI. 

DE    BOSTAQUET   IN   ENGLAND. — THE   IRISH    CAMPAIGNS   OF    1G89-90. 

Expedition  of  William  of  Orange  to  England. — The  Flotilla  sets  sail. — ^Voy- 
age along  the  English  Coast. — Landing  at  Torbay. — Advance  to  Exeter 
and  London. — Revolution  of  1688. — The  Exiles  in  London. — The  Mar- 
quis de  Ruvigny  at  Greenwich. — De  Bostaquet's  Family  in  England. — 
Huguenot  Regiments  sent  into  L-eland.  — The  Irish  Campaign  of  1689. — 
Losses  of  the  Army  at  Dundalii. — Landing  of  James  II.  in  Ireland  with 
a  French  Army. — Huguenot  Regiments  recruited  in  Switzerland. — Wil- 
liam III.  takes  the  Field  in  Person. — Campaign  of  1G90. — Battle  of  the 
Boyne. — Death  of  Marshal  Schomberg 205 

CHAPTER  XII. 

HUGUENOT   OFFICERS    IN   THE    BRITISH    SERVICE. 

Henrj',  Second  Marquis  de  Ruvigny,  distinguishes  himself  at  the  Battle  of 
Aughrim,  and  is  created  Earl  of  Galway. — "War  in  Savoy. — Earl  of  Gal- 
way  placed  in  Command. — Appointed  Lord  Justice  in  Ireland. — Found- 
ing of  Portarlington. — Earl  of  Galway  takes  Command  of  the  Army  in 
Spain. — Bravery  of  the  Huguenot  Soldiers. — Jean  Cavalier,  the  Cnmisard 
Leader. — The  War  of  tlie  Blouses. — Cavalier  enters  the  Service  of  Wil- 
liam III. — His  Desperate  Valor  at  the  Battle  of  Almanza  in  Spain. — 
Made  Governor  of  Jersey  and  Major  General. — Rapin-Thoyras,  the  Sol- 
dier-Historian.— John  de  Bodt,  the  Engineer. — Field  Marshal  Lord  Ligo- 
nicr. — The  Huguenot  Sailors. — Tiie  Admirals  Gambier 217 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

HUGUENOT    SETTLERS    IN    ENGLAND. — MEN   OF    SCIENCE   AND   LEARNING. 

The  Huguenot  Refugees  for  Liberty. — The  Emigration  a  Protest  against  In- 
tellectual and  Religious  Tyranny. — Eminent  Refugees. — Solomon  de  Cans. 
— Denis  Papin,his  Scientific  Eminence. — Dr.  Desagulicrs. — Abraham  de 
Moivre. — Refugee  Literati. — Refugee  Pastors :  Abbadie  ;  Saurin  ;  Allix  ; 
Pineton,  his  Escape  from  France. — Refugee  Graduates  of  Oxford. — The 
Du  Moulins. — James  Capell. — Claude  de  la  Mothe. — Armand  du  Bour- 
dieu 230 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HUGUENOT   SETTLEMENTS   IN   ENGLAND. — MEN   OF   INDUSTKT. 

Flight  of  the  Manufacturing  Class  from  France. — Districts  from  which  they 
chiefly  came. — Money  brought  by  them  into  England. — Measures  taken 
for  the  relief  of  the  Destitute. — French  Relief  Committee. — The  Hugue- 
nots self-helping  and  helpful  of  each  other. — Their  Benefit  Societies. — 
Their  settlements  in  Spitalfields  and  other  parts  of  London. — Introduce 
new  branches  of  Industry  from  France. — Establishment  of  the  Silk  Man-* 
ufacture.— Silk  Stocking  Trade. — Glass-works.— Paper-mills. — The  De 
Portal  Family.— Henry  de  Portal,  the  Paper-maker. — Manufactures  at 
Canterbury,  Norwich,  and  Ipswich. — Lace-making. — Refugee  Industry  in 
Scotland Page  250 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   HUGUENOT   CHUECHES   IN  ENGLAND. 

Large  number  of  Refugee  Churches  in  London.— French  Church  of  Thread- 
needle  Street. — Church  of  the  Savoy. — Swallow  Street  Church,  Piccadillv.  ' 
— French  Churches  in  Spitalfields. — Churches  in  Suburban  Districts.— 
The  Malthouse  Church,  Canterbury.  —  "God's  House,"  Southampton.— 
French  Churches  at  Bristol,  Plymouth,  Stonehouse,  Dartmouth,  and  Exe- 
ter.—  Church  at  Thorpe-le-Soken,  Essex.  —  Gradual  Decadence  of  the 
Churches. — Sermon  of  the  Rev.  M.  Bourdillon. — Founding  of  the  French 
Hospital. — Governors  and  Directors  of  the  Institution 270 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

HUGUENOT    SETTLEMENTS   IN   IRELAND. 

Attempts  to  establish  the  Linen-trade  in  Ireland  by  Refugees. — The  Duke 
of  Ormond. — Efforts  of  William  III.  to  promote  Irish  Industry.— Refugee 
Colony  at  Dublin. — Settlemert  at  Lisburn,  near  Belfast. — Louis  Crom- 
melin  appointed  "Overseer  of  Royal  Linen  Manufactory  of  Ireland." — 
His  Labors  crowned  with  Success.— Peter  Goyer.— Settlements  at  Kil- 
kenny and  Cork. — Life  and  Adventures  of  James  Fontaine  in  England 
and  Ireland.— Settlement  at  Youghal. — Refugee  Colony  at  Waterford.— 
The  French  Town  of  Portarlington :  its  Inhabitants  and  their  Descend- 
ants   , 283 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

The  Descendants  of  the  Refugee  Flemings  and  French  still  recognizable  in 
England.— Changes  of  Name  by  the  Flemings.— The  Des  Bouveries  Fam- 
ily.—  Hugessens. —  Houblons.  — Eminent  Descendants  of  Flemish  Refu- 
gees.— The  Grotc  Family. — Changes  of  French  Names. — Names  still  pre- 
served.— The  Queen's  Descent  from  a  Huguenot. — The  Trench  Family. 
— Peers  descended  from  Huguenots. — Peerages  of  Taunton,  Eversley,  and 


CONTENTS. 


Komilly. — The  Lefevres. — Family  of  Romilly. — Baronets  descended  from 
Huguenots. — Members  of  Parliament. — Eminent  Scholars:  Archdeacon 
Jortin,  Maturin,  Dutens,  Rev.  William  Romaine. — Eminent  Lawyers  de- 
scended from  Refugees. — Eminent  Literary  Men  of  the  same  Origin. — 
The  Handloom-weavers  of  Spitalfields. — The  Dollonds. — Lewis  Paul,  in- 
ventor of  Spinning  by  Rollers. — Sligration  from  Spitalfields. — The  last 
Persecutions  in  France. — The  Descendants  of  the  Huguenot  Refugees  be- 
come British Page  307 

CHAPTER  XVIIL 

CONCLUSION. — THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

Effects  of  the  Persecutions  in  Flanders  and  France. — Suppression  of  Protest- 
antism and  Liberty. — Disappearance  of  Great  Men  in  France  after  the 
Revocation. — Triumph  of  the  Jesuits. — Aggrandizement  of  the  Church. — 
Hunger  and  Emptiness  of  the  People. — Extinction  of  Religion. — The 
Church  assailed  by  Voltaire. — Persecution  of  the  Clergy. — The  Reign  of 
Terror. — Flight  of  the  Nobles  and  Clergy  from  France  into  Germany  and 
England. — The  Dragonnades  of  the  Huguenots  repeated  in  the  Noyades 
of  the  Royalists. — Louis  XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette  the  Victims  of  Louis 
XIV. — Relation  of  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  to  the  French 
Revolution. — Conclusion 340 


APPENDIX. 

I.  Early  Settlement  of  Foreign  Artisans  in  England 353 

II.  Registers  of  French  Protestant  Churches  in  England 368 

III.  Huguenot  Refugees  and  their  Descendants 397 

The  Huguenots  in  America 427 

Index ,., 443 


THE    HUGUENOTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INVENTION   OF   FEINTING. — RISE    OF   THE   HUGUENOTS. 

Of  all  inventions,  probably  none  has  exercised  a  greater 
influence  upon  modern  civilization  than  that  of  printing. 
Wliile  it  has  been  the  mother  and  preserver  of  many  other 
inventions  which  have  changed  the  face  of  society,  it  has 
also  afibrded  facilities  for  the  intercourse  of  mind  with  mind 
— of  living  men  with  each  other,  as  well  as  with  the  think- 
ers of  past  generations — which  have  evoked  an  extraordi- 
nary degree  of  mental  activity,  and  exercised  a  powerful  in- 
fluence on  the  development  of  modern  history. 

Although  letters  were  diligently  cultivated  long  before 
the  invention  of  printing,  and  many  valuable  books  existed 
in  manuscript,  and  seminaries  of  learning  flourished  in  all 
civilized  countries,  knowledge  was  for  the  most  part  con- 
fined to  a  comparatively  small  number  of  persons.  The 
manuscripts  which  contained  the  treasured  thoughts  of  the 
ancient  poets,  scholars,  and  men  of  science,  were  so  scarce 
and  dear  that  they  were  frequently  sold  for  double  or  treble 
their  weight  in  gold.  In  some  cases  they  were  considered 
so  precious  that  they  were  conveyed  by  deed  like  landed 
estate.  In  the  thirteenth  century  a  manuscript  copy  of  the 
Romance  of  the  JRose  was  sold  at  Paris  for  over  £33  ster- 
ling. A  copy  of  the  Bible  cost  from  £40  to  £60  for  the 
writing  only,  for  it  took  an  expert  copyist  about  ten  months' 


14  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

labor  to  make  one*  Such  being  the  case,  it  will  be  obvious 
that  books  Avere  then  for  the  most  part  the  luxury  of  the 
rich,  and  comparatively  inaccessible  to  the  great  body  of  the 
people. 

Even  the  most  advanced  minds  could  exercise  but  little 
influence  on  their  age.  They  were  able  to  address  them- 
selves to  only  a  very  limited  number  of  their  fellow-men, 
and  in  most  cases  their  influence  died  with  them.  The  re- 
sults of  study,  investigation,  and  experience  remainmg  im- 
recorded,  knowledge  was  for  the  most  part  transmitted  oral- 
ly, and  often  inaccurately.  Thus  many  arts  and  inventions 
discovered  by  individuals  became  lost  to  the  race,  and  a 
point  of  social  stagnation  was  arrived  at,  beyond  which  far- 
ther progress  seemed  improbable. 

This  state  of  things  was  entirely  changed  by  the  intro- 
duction of  printing.  It  gave  a  new  birth  to  letters ;  it  ena- 
bled books  to  be  perpetually  renovated  and  multipled  at  a 
comparatively  moderate  cost,  and  to  diffiise  the  light  which 
they  contained  over  a  much  larger  number  of  minds.  It 
gave  a  greatly  increased  power  to  the  individual  and  to  so- 
ciety, by  facilitating  the  mtercourse  of  educated  men  of  all 
countries  with  each  other.  Active  thinkers  were  no  longer 
restricted  by  the  limits  of  their  town  or  parish,  or  even  of 
their  nation  or  epoch ;  and  the  knowledge  that  their  printed 

*  It  is  difficult  to  form  an  accurate  idea  of  the  relative  value  of  money  to 
commodities  in  the  thirteenth  century,  compared  with  jjresent  prices ;  but  it 
may  be  mentioned  that  in  14i5  (according  to  Fleetwood's  Chronkon  Pretio- 
suvi,  1707)  the  price  of  wheat  was  4s.  6d.  the  quarter,  and  oats  2s.;  bullocks 
and  heifers  sold  for  5s.,  and  sheep  for  2s.  5^d.  each.  In  1460  a  gallon  of 
ale  sold  for  a  penny,  which  was  also  the  ordinary  day's  wage  of  laborers  and 
servants,  in  addition  to  meat  and  drink.  As  late  as  1558,  a  good  sheep  sold 
for  2s.  lOd.  In  1414  the  ordinary  salary  of  chaplains  was  five  or  six  marks 
a  year  (the  mark  being  equal  to  13s.  4c/.),  and  of  resident  parish  ]n-iests  eight 
marks ;  so  that  for  about  £5  10s.  a  year  a  single  man  was  expected  to  live 
cleanly  and  decently.  These  prices  multiplied  by  about  twelve  would  give 
something  approaching  their  equivalent  in  modern  money.  It  is  true,  man- 
uscripts were  in  many  cases  sold  at  fancy  ])rices,  as  books  are  now.  But 
copying  had  become  a  regular  branch  of  business :  at  Milan,  in  the  four- 
teenth century,  about  fifty  persons  earned  their  living  by  it.  The  ordinary 
charge  for  making  a  copy  of  the  Bible  was  80  Bologna  livrcs,  or  equal  to 
53  gold  florins. 


GUTENBERG  AND  SCHCEFFER.  15 

words  would  have  an  effect  where  their  spoken  words  did 
not  reach,  could  not  fail  to  stimulate  the  highest  order  of 
minds  into  action.  The  permanency  of  invention  and  dis- 
covery was  thus  secured ;  the  most  advanced  point  of  one 
generation  became  the  starting-point  of  the  next ;  and  the 
results  of  the  labors  of  one  age  were  carried  forward  into  all 
the  ages  that  succeeded.* 

The  invention  of  printing,  like  most  others,  struggled  slow- 
ly and  obscurely  into  life.  The  wooden  blocks  or  tablets  of 
Laurence  Coster  were  superseded  by  separate  tyjjes  of  the 
same  material.  Gutenberg,  of  Mentz,  next  employed  large 
types  cut  in  metal,  from  which  the  impressions  were  taken. 
And,  finally,  Gutenberg's  associate,  Schoeffer,  cut  the  charac- 
ters in  a  matrix,  after  which  the  types  were  cast,  and  thus 
completed  the  art  as  it  now  remains. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  that  the  first  book  which 
Gutenberg  undertook  to  print  with  his  cut  metal  types  was 
a  folio  edition  of  the  Bible  in  the  Latin  Vulgate,  consisting 
of  641  leaves.  When  the  immense  labor  involved  in  carry- 
ing out  such  a  work  is  considered  —  the  cutting  by  hand, 
with  imperfect  tools,  of  each  separate  type  required  for  the 
setting  of  a  folio  page,  and  the  difliculties  to  be  overcome 
with  respect  to  vellum,  paper,  ink,  and  press-work — one  can 
not  but  feel  astonished  at  the  boldness  of  the  undertaking ; 
nor  can  it  be  matter  of  surprise  that  the  execution  of  the 
work  occupied  Gutenberg  and  his  associates  a  period  of  from 
seven  to  eight  years. f 

*  See  "Q xjiBKG'E,,  Ninth  Br idgewater  Treatise,  52-6.  Lord  Bacon  observes: 
"  If  tlie  invention  of  ships  was  thought  so  noble,  which  carrieth  riches  and 
commodities  from  place  to  place,  how  much  more  are  letters  to  be  magni- 
fied, which,  as  ships,  pass  thi'ough  the  vast  seas  of  time,  and  make  ages  so 
distant  to  [Darticipate  of  the  wisdom,  illuminations,  and  inventions,  the  one 
of  the  other." 

t  The  first  Bible  printed  by  Gutenberg  is  known  as  the  Mazarin  Bible, 
from  a  copy  of  it  having  been  found  in  Cardinal  Mazarin's  library  at  Paris 
about  the  middle  of  last  century.  Jolinson,  in  his  Tjutorp-apliia  (p.  17), 
says:  "It  was  printed  with  large  cut  metal  types,  and  published  in  1450." 
Others  give  the  date  of  publication  as  five  years  later,  in  1455.  Mr.  Hal- 
lam  inclines  to  think  that  it  was  printed  with  cast-metal  types;  but  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  casting  of  the  types  by  a  matrix  was  invented  at 


16  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

We  do  not,  however,  suppose  that  Gutenberg  and  his  as- 
sociates were  induced  to  execute  this  first  printed  Bible 
through  any  more  lofty  motive  than  that  of  earning  a  con- 
siderable sum  of  money  by  the  enterprise.  They  were, 
doubtless,  tempted  to  undertake  it  by  the  immense  prices 
for  which  manuscript  copies  of  the  Bible  then  sold ;  and 
they  merely  sought  to  produce,  by  one  set  of  operations,  a 
number  of  duplicates  in  imitation  of  the  written  character, 
which  they  hoped  to  be  able  to  sell  at  the  manuscript  prices. 
But,  as  neither  Gutenberg  nor  Schcefier  were  rich  men,  and 
as  the  work  involved  great  labor  and  expense  while  in  prog- 
ress, they  found  it  necessary  to  invite  some  capitalist  to  join 
them;  and  hence  their  communication  of  the  secret  to  John 
Faust,  the  wealthy  goldsmith  of  Mentz,  who  agreed  to  join 
them  in  their  venture,  and  supply  them  with  the  necessary 
means  for  carrying  out  the  undertaking. 

The  first  edition  of  the  printed  Bible  having  been  disposed 
of,  without  the  secret  having  transpired,  Faust  and  Schoeffer 
brought  out  a  second  edition  in  1462,  which  they  again  of- 
fered for  sale  at  the  manuscript  prices.  Faust  carried  a 
number  of  copies  to  Paris  to  dispose  of,  and  sold  several  of 
them  for  500  or  600  crowns,  the  price  then  paid  for  manu- 
script Bibles.  But  great  was  the  astonishment  of  the  Paris- 
ian copyists  when  Faust,  anxious  to  dispose  of  the  remain- 
der, lowered  his  price  to  60  and  then  to  30  crowns !  The 
copies  sold  having  been  compared  Avith  each  other,  were 
found  to  be  exactly  uniform !     It  was  immediately  inferred 

a  subsequent  period.  Mr.  Hallam  says:  "It  is  a  very  striking  circum- 
stance that  the  high-minded  inventors  of  this  great  art  tried  at  tlie  very  out- 
set so  bold  a  flight  as  the  printing  an  entire  Bible,  and  executcil  it  with  as- 
tonishing success.  It  was  Minerva  leaping  on  earth  in  her  divine  strength 
.and  radiant  armor,  ready  at  the  moment  of  her  nativity  to  subdue  and  de- 
t^troy  her  enemies.  The  Mazarin  Bible  is  printed,  some  copies  on  vellum, 
some  on  paper  of  choice  quality,  with  strong,  black,  and  tolerably  handsome 
characters,  but  with  some  want  of  uniformity,  which  has  led,  i)crhaps  un- 
reasonably, to  doubt  whether  they  were  cast  in  a  matrix.  "We  m.ay  see  in 
inifigination  this  venerable  and  splendid  volume  leading  up  the  crowded 
myri.ads  of  its  followers,  and  imploring,  as  it  were,  a  blessing  on  the  new 
art,  by  dedicating  its  first-fruits  to  the  service  of  Heaven." — Literary  His- 
tory, edition  ISG-t,  p.  156-7. 


PRINTING   OF  THE  BIBLE.  17 

that  these  Bibles  must  be  produced  by  magic,  as  such  an  ex- 
traordinary uniformity  was  considered  entirely  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  contrivauce.  Information  was  forthwith 
given  to  the  police  against  Faust  as  a  magician.  His  lodg- 
ings were  searched,  wlien  a  number  of  Bibles  were  found 
there  complete.  The  red  ink  with  which  they  were  embel- 
lished was  supposed  to  be  his  blood.  It  was  seriously  be- 
lieved that  he  was  in  league  with  the  devil ;  and  he  was 
carried  off  to  prison,  from  which  he  Avas  only  delivered  upon 
making  a  full  revelation  of  the  secret.* 

Several  other  books,  of  less  importance,  were  printed  by 
Gutenberg  and  Schoefler  at  Mentz :  two  editions  of  the  Psal- 
ter, a  Catholicon,  a  Codex  Psalmorum,  and  an  edition  of  Cic- 
cro's  Offices ;  but  they  were  printed  in  such  small  numbers, 
and  were  sold  at  such  high  prices,  that,  like  the  manuscripts 
which  they  superseded,  they  were  only  purchasable  by  kings, 
nobles,  collegiate  bodies,  and  rich  ecclesiastical  establish- 
ments. It  Avas  only  after  the  lapse  of  many  years,  when  the 
manufacture  of  paper  had  become  improved,  and  SchceiFer 
had  invented  his  method  of  cutting  the  characters  in  a  ma- 
trix, and  casting  the  type  in  quantity,  that  books  could  be 
printed  in  such  forms  as  to  be  accessible  to  the  great  body 
of  the  people. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  printing  establishments  of  Guten- 
berg and  Schceffer  were  for  a  time  broken  up  by  the  sack 
and  plunder  of  Mentz  by  the  Archbishop  Adolphus  in  1462, 
when,  their  workmen  becoming  dispersed,  and  being  no  lon- 
ger bound  to  secrecy,  they  shortly  after  carried  with  them  the 
invention  of  the  new  art  into  nearly  every  country  in  Eu- 
rope. 

"Wherever  the  printers  set  up  their  trade,  they  usually  be- 
gan by  issuing  an  edition  of  the  Latin  Bible.  There  was  no 
author  class  in  those  days  to  supply  "  copy"  enough  to  keep 
their  presses  going.     Accordingly,  they  fell  back  upon  the 

*  Such  is  supposed  to  be  the  oripin  of  the  tradition  of  "The  Devil  and 
Dr.  Faustus."    It  is  believed  that  Faust  died  of  the  plague  at  Paris  in  1466. 

B 


18  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

ancient  authors,  issuing  editions  of  Livy,  Horace,  Sallust,  Cic- 
ero, and  portions  of  Aristotle,  witli  occasional  devotional 
manuals ;  but  their  favorite  book,  most  probably  because  it 
was  the  one  most  in  demand,  was  the  Bible.  Only  twenty- 
four  books  were  published  in  Germany  during  the  ten  years 
that  followed  the  sack  of  Mentz ;  but  of  these  five  were  Latin 
and  two  were  German  Bibles.  Translators  were  at  the  same 
time  busily  engaged  upon  it  in  different  countries,  and  year 
by  year  the  Bible  became  more  accessible.  Thus  an  Italian 
version  appeared  in  1471,  a  Bohemian  in  1475,  a  Dutch  in 
1477,  a  French  in  1477,  and  a  Spanish  (Valencian)  in  1478.* 
The  Bible,  however,  continued  a  comparatively  scarce  and 
dear  book,  being  little  known  to  the  clergy  generally,  and 
still  less  to  the  people.  By  many  of  the  former  it  was  re- 
garded with  suspicion,  and  even  with  hostility.  At  length, 
the  number  of  editions  of  the  Bible  which  were  publislied  in 
Germany,  as  if  heralding  the  approach  of  the  coming  Refor- 
mation, seriously  alarmed  the  Church;  and  in  148G  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Mentz  placed  the  printers  of  that  city,  which  had 
been  the  cradle  of  the  printmg-pvess,  under  strict  censorship. 
Twenty-five  years  later,  Pope  Alexander  VI.  issued  a  bull 
prohibiting  the  printers  of  Cologne,  Mentz,  Treves,  and  Mag- 
deburg from  publishing  any  books  without  the  exj)ress  li- 
cense of  their  archbishops.  Although  these  measures  were 
directed  against  the  printing  of  religious  works  generally, 
they  were  more  particularly  directed  against  the  publication 
of  the  Scriptures  in  the  vulgar  tongue.f 

*  Lord  Spencer's  famous  library  contains  twenty  editions  of  the  Bible  in 
Latin,  jirintod  between  the  appearance  of  the  Mazarin  Bible  in  HoO-a  and 
the  year  1480  inclusive.  It  also  contains  nine  editions  of  the  German  Bi- 
ble i)rinted  before  the  year  1405. — See  Edwards  on  Libraries,  ]>.  4i?0. 

t  ILvM-AM — Literary  History,  od.  1SG4.  i.,  254.  No  translation  uf  the  Bi- 
ble was  purmitted  to  appear  in  England  during  tlie  fifteenth  ceiitiuy  ;  and 
the  reading  of  Wyclift'c's  translation  was  prohibited  under  penalty  of  excom- 
munication and  "death.  Tyndale's  translation  of  the  New  Testament  was 
first  printed  at  Antwerp.  The  government  tried  to  snpi)ress  the  book,  and 
many  copies  were  seized  and  burnt.  John  Tyndale,  a  merchant  of  London, 
brother  of  tl)c  translator,  having  been  convicted  of  reading  the  New  'J'csta- 
ment,  was  sentenced  by  the  excellent  Sir  Thomas  More  "that  he  should  be 
set  upon  a  horse  with  his  face  to  the  tail,  and  have  a  paper  i)inned  upon  his 


PUBLICATION  OF  THE  BIBLE.  19 

The  printers,  nevertheless,  continued  to  print  the  Bible,  re- 
gardless of  these  prohibitions  —  the  Old  Testament  in  He- 
brew, the  new  in  Greek,  and  both  in  Latin,  German,  French, 
and  other  modern  languages.  Finding  that  the  reading  of 
the  Bible  was  extending,  the  priests  began  to  inveigh  against 
the  jH'actice  from  the  pulpit.  "  They  have  now  found  out," 
said  a  French  monk, "  a  new  language  called  Greek ;  we  must 
carefully  guard  ourselves  against  it.  That  language  will  be 
•  the  mother  of  all  sorts  of  heresies.  I  see  in  the  hands  of  a 
great  number  of  persons  a  book  written  in  this  language, 
called  '  The  New  Testament ;'  it  is  a  book  full  of  brambles, 
with  vipers  in  them.  As  to  the  Hebrew,  whoever  learns  that 
becomes  a  Jew  at  once."* 

The  fears  of  the  priests  increased  as  they  saw  their  flocks 
becoming  more  intent  upon  reading  the  Scriptures,  or  hear- 
ing them  read,  than  attending  mass ;  and  they  were  especial- 
ly concerned  at  the  growing  disposition  of  the  people  to  call 
in  question  the  infallibility  of  the  Church  and  the  sacred  char- 
acter of  the  priesthood.  It  was  every  day  becoming  clearer 
to  them  that  if  the  people  were  permitted  to  resort  to  books, 
and  pray  to  God  direct  in  their  vulgar  tongue,  instead  of 
through  the  priests  in  Latin,  the  authority  of  the  mass  would 
fall,  and  the  Church  itself  would  be  endangered. f     A  most 

head,  and  many  sheets  of  New  Testaments  sewn  to  his  cloak,  to  be  after- 
ward thrown  into  .a  great  fire  I^indled  in  Cheapside,  and  then  pay  to  the 
king  a  fine  which  should  ruin  him." 

*  SiSMONDi — Hisloire  des  Franf.ais,  xvi.,  304. 

t  Lord  Herbert,  in  his  Life  of  Henry  VII.  (p.  147),  supposed  Cardinal 
Wolsey  to  have  stated  the  eft'ects  of  printing  to  the  pope  in  tlie  following 
terms:  "That  his  holiness  could  not  be  ignorant  what  deverse  eft'ects  the 
new  invention  of  printing  had  produced  ;  for  it  had  brought  in  and  restored 
books  and  learning ;  so  together  it  hath  been  the  occasion  of  those  sects  and 
schisms  which  daily  appear  in  the  world,  but  especially  in  Germany ;  where 
men  begin  now  to  call  in  question  the  present  faith  and  tenets  of  the  Church, 
and  to  examine  how  far  religion  is  departed  from  its  primitive  institution. 
And  that,  which  particularly  was  most  tcbe  lamented,  they  had  exhorted 
lay  and  ordinary  men  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  to  pray  in  their  vulgar 
tongue ;  and  if  this  was  suffered,  besides  all  other  dangers,  the  common 
people  at  last  might  come  to  believe  that  there  was  not  so  much  use  of  the 
clergy.  For  if  men  were  persuaded  once  they  could  make  their  own  way 
to  God,  and  that  prayers  in  their  native  and  ordinary  language  might  pierce 
heaven  as  well  as  Latin,  how  much  would  the  authority  of  the  mass  fall ! 


20  .  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

forcible  expression  was  given  to  this  view  by  the  Vicar  of 
Croydon  in  a  sermon  preached  by  him  at  Paul's  Cross,  in 
which  he  boldly  declared  that  "  we  must  root  out  printing, 
or  printing  will  root  out  us." 

But  printing  could  not  be  rooted  out  any  more  than  the 
hand  of  Time  could  be  put  back.  This  invention,  unlike  ev- 
ery other,  contained  within  itself  a  self-preserving  power 
which  insured  its  perpetuation.  Its  method  had  become 
known,  and  was  recorded  by  itself  Printed  books  were  now 
part  of  the  inheritance  of  the  human  race ;  and  though  they 
might  be  burnt,  as  vast  numbers  of  Bibles  were,  so  that  they 
might  be  kept  out  of  the  hands  of  the  people,  so  long  as  a 
single  copy  remained  it  was  not  lost,  but  was  capable  of  im- 
mediate restoration  and  of  infinite  multiplication. 

The  intense  interest  which  the  publication  of  the  Bible  ex- 
cited, and  the  emotion  it  raised  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
read  it,  are  matters  of  history.  At  this  day,  when  Bibles  are 
common  in  almost  every  household,  it  is  perhaps  difficult  to 
appreciate  the  deep  feeling  of  awe  and  reverence  with  which 
men  for  the  first  time  perused  the  sacred  volume.  We  have 
become  so  familiar  with  it,  that  we  are  apt  to  look  upon  it 
merely  as  one  among  many  books  —  as  part  of  the  current 
literature  of  the  day,  or  as  a  record  of  ancient  history,  to  be 
checked  off"  by  the  arithmetician  and  analyzed  by  the  critic. 

It  was  far  difierent  in  those  early  times,  when  the  Bible 

was  rare  and  precious.    Printing  had  brought  forth  the  Book, 

which  had  lain  so  long  silent  in  manuscript  beneath  the  dust 

of  old  libraries,  and  laid  it  before  the  people,  to  be  read  by 

them  in  their  own  tongue.      It  was  known  to  be  the  very 

charter  and  title-deed  of  Christianity — the  revelation  of  God's 

own  will  to  man ;  and  now,  to  read  it,  or  hear  it  read,  was 

like  meeting  God  face  to  face,  and  listening  to  His  voice 

speaking  directly  to  them. 

For  this  pur])ose,  since  printing  could  not  be  put  do\Y-n,  it  was  best  to  set  up 
lenrnin<j;  against  learning  ;  and  by  introducing  all  persons  to  dispute,  to  sus- 
pend tlie  laity  between  fear  and  controversy.  This,  at  most,  would  make 
them  attentive  to  their  superiors  and  teachers." 


READING   OF  THE  BIBLE.  2l 

At  first  it  could  only  be  read  to  the  people ;  and  in  the 
English  cathedrals,  where  single  copies  were  placed,  chained 
to  a  niche,  eager  groups  gathered  round  to  drink  in  its  liv- 
ing truths.  But  as  the  art  of  printing  improved,  and  cojDies 
of  the  Bible  became  multiplied  in  portable  forms,  it  could 
then  be  taken  home  into  the  study  or  the  chamber,  and  read 
and  studied  in  secret.  It  was  found  to  be  an  ever-fresh 
gushing  spring  of  thought,  welling  up,  as  it  were,  from  the 
Infinite.  No  wonder  that  men  pondered  over  it  with  rev- 
erence, and  read  it  with  thanksgiving !  No  wonder  that  it 
moved  their  hearts,  influenced  their  thoughts,  gave  a  color 
to  their  familiar  speech,*  and  imparted  a  bias  to  their  whole 
life! 

To  the  thoughtful,  the  perusal  of  the  Bible  gave  new  views 
of  life  and  death ;  showed  them  man,  standing  on  the  nar- 
row isthmus  of  time  which  divides  the  eternity  of  the  past 
from  the  eternity  of  the  future — a  weak,  helpless,  and  sinful 
creature,  yet  the  object  of  God's  unceasing  care.  Its  effect 
was  to  make  those  who  pondered  its  lessons  more  solemn ;  it 
made  the  serious  more  earnest,  and  impressed  them  Avith  a 
deeper  sense  of  responsibility  and  duty.  To  the  poor,  the 
suffering,  and  the  struggling,  it  was  the  aurora  of  a  new 
world.  With  this  Book  in  their  hands,  what  to  them  were 
the  afllictions  of  time,  which  were  but  for  a  moment,  work- 
ing out  for  them  "  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory  ?" 

It  was  the  accidental  sight  of  a  copy  of  one  of  Gutenberg's 
Bibles  in  the  library  of  the  convent  of  Erfurt,  where  Luther 
was  in  training  for  a  monk,  that  fixed  his  destiny  for  life.f 

*  The  perusal  and  study  of  the  Bible  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies exercised  an  important  influence  on  literature  in  all  countries.  The 
great  writers  of  the  period  unconsciously  adopted  Bible  phraseology  to  a 
large  extent — the  thoughts  of  Scripture  clothing  themselves  in  language 
which  became  habitual  to  all  who  studied  it  closely.  This  tendency  is  no- 
ticeable in  the  early  foreign  as  well  as  English  writers — in  Latimer,  Brad- 
ford, Jewell,  More,  Brown,  Bacon,  Milton,  and  others.  Coleridge  lias  said, 
"Intense  study  of  the  Bible  will  keep  any  writer  from  being  vulgar  in  point 
of  style." 

t  "I  was  twenty  years  old,"  said  Luther,  "before  I  had  even  seen  the  Bi- 


23  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

He  opened  it,  and  read  with  inexjaressible  delight  the  history 
of  Hannah  and  her  son  Samuel.  "  O  God  !"  he  murmured, 
"  could  I  but  have  one  of  these  books,  I  would  ask  no  other 
treasure !"  A  great  revolution  forthwith  took  place  in  his 
soul.  He  read,  and  studied,  and  meditated,  until  he  fell  se- 
riously ill.  Dr.  Staupitz,  a  man  of  rank  in  the  Church,  was 
then  inspecting  the  convent  at  Erfurt,  in  which  Luther  had 
been  for  two  years.  He  felt  powerfully  attracted  toward 
the  young  monk,  and  had  much  confidential  intercourse  with 
him.  Before  leaving,  Staupitz  presented  Luther  with  a  copy 
of  the  Bible — a  Bible  all  to  himself,  which  he  could  take  with 
him  to  his  cell  and  study  there.  "  For  several  years,"  said 
Luther  afterward,  "  I  read  the  whole  Bible  twice  in  every 
twelvemonth.  It  is  a  great  and  powerful  tree,  each  word  of 
which  is  a  mighty  branch ;  each  of  these  branches  have  I 
shaken,  so  desirous  was  I  to  learn  Avhat  fruit  they  every  one 
of  them  bore,  and  what  they  could  give  me."* 

This  Bible  of  Luther's  was,  however,  in  the  Latin  Vulgate, 
a  language  known  only  to  the  learned.  Several  translations 
had  been  printed  in  Germany  by  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury; but  they  were  unsatisfactory  versions,  unsuited  for 
popular  reading,  and  were  comparatively  little  known.  One 
of  Luther's  first  thoughts,  therefore,  was  to  translate  the  Bi- 
ble into  the  popular  speech,  so  that  the  people  at  large  might 
have  free  access  to  the  unparalleled  book.  Accordingly,  in 
1521,  he  began  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament  dui-ing 
his  imprisonment  in  what  he  called  his  Patmos,  the  castle  of 
Wartburg.  It  was  completed  and  published  in  the  follow- 
ing year;  and  two  years  later  his  Old  Testament  appeared. 

blc.  I  had  no  notion  that  there  existed  any  other  gospels  or  epistles  than 
those  in  the  service.  At  last  I  came  across  a  Bible  in  the  libr.ary  at  Erfurt, 
and  used  often  to  read  it  to  Dr.  Staii])it7.  witli  still  increasing  wonder." — 
TiscHREDEN— Ta/^/e- Ta//;  (Frankfort,  l.^iGS),  p.2.->r).  And  again, "  Dr.  Usin- 
ger,  an  Augustan  monk,  who  was  my  preceptor  at  the  convent  of  Erfurt,  nsed 
to  say  to  me,  'Ah!  brother  Martin,  why  trouble  yourself  with  the  Bible? 
Kather  read  tlie  ancient  doctors,  who  have  collected  for  you  all  its  marrow 
and  honey.     The  Bible  itself  is  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles.' " — Tischre- 

DEN,  p.  7.  *  TiSCHREDEN,  p.  311. 


THE  ENCLISIl  BIBLE.  23 

Xono  valued  more  than  Luther  did  the  invention  of  print- 
ing. "  Printing,"  said  he, "  is  the  latest  and  greatest  gift  by 
which  God  enables  us  to  advance  the  things  of  the  Gospel." 
Printing  was,  indeed,  one  of  the  prime  agents  of  the  Refor- 
mation. The  ideas  had  long  been  born,  but  printing  gave 
them  wings.  Had  the  writings  of  Luther  and  his  fellow-la- 
borers been  confined  only  to  such  copies  as  could  have  been 
made  by  hand,  they  would  have  remained  few  in  number, 
been  extremely  limited  in  their  effects,  and  could  easily  have 
been  suppressed  and  destroyed  by  authority.  But  the  print- 
ing-press enabled  them  to  circulate  by  thousands  all  over 
Germany.*  Luther  was  the  especial  favorite  of  the  printers 
and  booksellers.  The  former  took  pride  in  bringing  out  his 
books  with  minute  care,  and  the  latter  in  circulating  them. 
A  large  body  of  ex-monks  lived  by  traveling  about  and  sell- 
ing them  all  over  Germany.  They  also  flew  abroad,  into 
Switzerland,  Bohemia,  France,  and  England. f 

The  printing  of  the  Bible  was  also  carried  on  with  great 
activity  in  the  Low  Countries.  Besides  versions  in  French 
and  Flemish  for  the  use  of  the  people  in  the  Walloon  prov- 
inces, where  the  new  views  extensively  prevailed,  various 
versions  in  foreign  tongues  were  printed  for  exportation 
abroad.  Thus  Tyndale,  unable  to  get  his  New  Testament 
printed  in  England,  where  its  perusal  was  forbidden,  had  the 
first  edition  printed  at  Antwerp  in  1526, J  as  well  as  two  sub- 

*  At  Nuremberg,  at  Strasburg,  even  at  Mentz,  there  was  a  constant  strug- 
gle for  Luther's  least  pamphlets.  The  sheet,  yet  wet,  was  brought  from  the 
press  uiKlcr  some  one's  cloak,  and  passed  from  shop  to  shop.  The  jiedantic 
bookmen  of  the  German  trades-unions,  the  poetical  tinmen,  the  literary  shoe- 
makers, devoured  the  good  news.  Worthy  Hans  Sachs  raised  himself  above 
his  wonted  commonplace ;  he  left  his  shoe  half  made,  and  with  his  most 
high-flown  verses,  his  best  productions,  he  sang,  in  under  tones,  "The  Night- 
ingale of  Wittenberg,"  and  the  song  was  taken  up  and  resounded  all  over 
the  land. — Michelet — Life  of  Luther,  70,  71. 

t  Works  printed  in  Germany  or  in  the  Flemish  provinces,  where  at  first 
the  administration  connived  at  the  new  religion,  were  imported  into  En- 
gland, and  read  with  that  eagerness  and  delight  which  always  compensate 
the  risk  of  forbidden  studies.— Hallam — Hist,  of  England,  i.,  p.  82. 

X  A  complete  edition  of  the  English  Bible,  translated  partly  by  Tyndale 
and  partly  by  Coverdale,  was  printed  at  Hamburg  in  1535 ;  and  a  second 
edition,  edited  by  John  Eogers,  under  the  name  of  "Thomas  Matthew,"  was 


24  IX  VENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

sequent  editions  at  the  same  place.  Indeed,  Antwerp  seems 
at  that  time  to  liave  been  the  head-quarters  of  Bible-pi'int- 
ing.  No  fewer  than  thirteen  editions  of  tlie  Bible  and  twen- 
ty-four editions  of  the  New  Testament,  in  the  Flemish  or 
Dutch  language,  were  printed  there  within  the  first  thirty- 
six  years  of  the  sixteenth  century,  besides  various  other  edi- 
tions in  English,  French,  Danish,  and  Spanish.* 

An  eager  demand  for  the  Scriptures  had  by  this  time 
sprung  up  in  France.  Several  translations  of  portions  of  the 
Bible  appeared  there  toward  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury ;  but  these  were  all  superseded  by  a  version  of  the  en- 
tire Scriptures,  printed  at  Antwerp,  in  successive  portions, 
between  the  years  1512  and  1530.  This  translation  was  the 
work  of  Jacques  le  Fevre  or  Faber,  of  Estaj^les,  and  it  form- 
ed the  basis  of  all  subsequent  editions  of  the  French  Bible. 

The  eifects  v/ere  the  same  wherever  the  Book  appeared, 
and  was  freely  read  by  the  people.  It  was  followed  by  an 
immediate  reaction  against  the  superstition,  indiiferentism, 
and  impiety  wiiieh  generally  prevailed.  There  was  a  sud- 
den awakening  to  a  new  religious  life,  and  an  anxious  desire 
for  a  purer  faith,  less  overlaid  by  the  traditions,  inventions, 
and  corruptions  which  impaired  the  efiicacy,  and  obscured 
the  simple  beauty  of  Christianity.  The  invention  of  print- 
printed  at  Marlhorow,  in  Ilcsse,  in  1537.  Tyncialc  suffored  martyrdom  at 
Viivorde,  near  Brussels,  in  1536,  yet  lie  died  in  the  midst  of  victory,  for  be- 
fore his  death  no  fewer  thati  fourteen  editions  of  the  New  Testament,  several 
of  tiicm  of  two  thousand  copies  each,  had  been  printed ;  and  at  the  very  time 
that  he  died  the  first  edition  of  the  Scriptures  printed  in  England  was  pass- 
ing through  the  press.  Cranmer's  Bible,  so  called  because  revised  by  Cran- 
mer,  was  published  in  1539-40.  In  the  year  1542,  Henry  VIII.  issued  a 
proclaiTiation  directing  a  large  Bible  to  be  set  up  in  every  parish  church, 
while  at  the  same  time  Bibles  were  authorized  to  be  publicly  sold.  The 
Sfiencer  collection  contains  copies  of  fifteen  English  editions  of  the  Bible 
printed  Iietween  1530  and  1581,  showing  that  the  printing-press  was  by  that 
time  actively  at  work  in  England.  Wycliffe's  translation,  thougli  made  in 
1380,  was  not  printed  until  1731. 

*  "'Tiiere  can  be  no  sort  of  comparison,"  says  Mr.  Ilallam," between  the 
number  of  these  editions,  and  consequently  the  eagerness  of  the  people  of  the 
Low  Countries  for  biblical  knowledge,  considering  tjie  limited  extent  of  tlieir 
language,  and  any  thing  tliat  could  be  found  in  the  Protestant  states  of  the 
empire." — Literary  Ilistoiij,  i.,  387. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ABUSES. 


iiig  had  also  its  political  effects ;  and  for  men  to  be  able  to 
read  books,  and  especially  the  Scriptures,  in  the  common 
tongue,  was  itself  a  revolution.  It  roused  the  hearts  of  the 
people  in  all  lands,  producing  commotion,  excitement,  and 
agitation.  Society  became  electric,  and  was  stirred  to  its 
depths.  The  sentiment  of  Right  was  created,  and  the  long 
down-trodden  peasants — along  the  Rhine,  in  Alsace,  and  Sua- 
bia — raised  their  cries  on  all  sides,  demanding  freedom  from 
serfdom,  and  to  be  recognized  as  Men.  Indeed,  this  electric 
fervor  and  vehement  excitement  throughout  society  was  one 
of  the  greatest  difficulties  that  Luther  had  to  contend  with 
in  guiding  the  Reformation  in  Germany  to  a  successful  issue. 

The  ecclesiastical  abuses,  which  had  first  evoked  the  m- 
dignation  of  Luther,  were  not  confined  to  Germany,  but  pre- 
vailed all  over  Europe.  There  were  Tetzels  also  in  France, 
where  indulgences  were  things  of  common  traffic.  Money 
must  thus  be  raised,  for  the  building  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome 
had  to  be  paid  for.  Each  sin  had  its  price,  each  vice  its  tax. 
There  was  a  regular  tarifl^  for  peccadilloes  of  every  degree, 
up  to  the  greatest  crimes.*  The  Bible,  it  need  scarcely  be 
said,  was  at  open  war  with  this  monstrous  state  of  things ; 
and  the  more  extensively  it  was  read  and  its  precepts  be- 
came known,  the  more  strongly  were  these  practices  con- 
demned. Hence  the  alarm  occasioned  at  Rome  by  the  rapid 
extension  of  the  art  of  printing  and  the  increasing  circulation 
of  the  Bible.  Hence  also  the  prohibition  of  printing  which 
shortly  followed,  and  the  burning  of  the  printers  who  printed 
the  Scriptures,  as  well  as  the  persons  who  were  found  guilty 
of  reading  them. 

The  first  signs  of  the  Reformation  in  France  showed  them- 
selves in  the  town  of  Meaux,  about  fifty  miles  northeast  of 
Paris,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  then  Flemish  frontier.     It 

*  The  well-known  book  entitled  Taxes  of  the  Roman  Chancery  sets  forth  tlie 
various  crimes  for  which  absolution  might  be  given,  and  the  price  chai'ged  in 
each  case.  Numerous  instances  are  quoted  verbatim  in  VuAvx—Histoire  de 
la  Reformation  Frangaise,  i.,  15.  The  book,  it  must  be  added,  is  now  repudi- 
ated by  Roman  Catholics,  thougli  it  was  issued  from  the  Romish  press. 


26  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

was  a  place  full  of  Avorkiiig-peoijle — mechanics,  Avool-carders, 
fullers,  cloth-makers,  and  artisans.  The  proximity  to  Flan- 
ders, and  the  similarity  of  their  trade  to  that  of  the  larger 
Flemish  towns,  occasioned  a  degree  of  intercourse  between 
them,  which  doubtless  contributed  to  the  propagation  of  the 
new  views  at  Meaux,  where  the  hearts  of  the  poor  artisans 
were  greatly  moved  by  the  tidings  of  the  Gospel  which 
reached  them  from  the  North. 

At  the  same  time,  men  of  learning  in  the  Church  had  long 
been  meditating  over  the  abuses  which  prevailed  in  it,  and 
devising  the  best  means  for  remedying  them.  Among  the 
most  earnest  of  these  was  Jacques  Lefevre,  a  native  of  Eta- 
l)les  in  Picardy.  He  was  a  man  of  great  and  acknowledged 
learning,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  professors  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Paris.  The  study  of  the  Bible  produced  the  same 
effect  upon  his  mind  that  it  had  done  on  that  of  Luther;  but 
he  was  a  man  of  far  different  temperament — gentle,  retiring, 
and  timid,  though  no  less  devoted  to  the  cause  of  truth.  He 
was,  however,  an  old  man  of  seventy ;  his  life  was  fast  fleet- 
ing ;  yet  here  was  a  world  lying  in  wickedness  around  him. 
What  he  could  do  he  nevertheless  did.  He  translated  the 
four  Gospels  into  French  in  1523 ;  had  them  printed  at  Ant- 
werp ;  and  put  them  into  circulation.  He  found  a  faithful 
follower  in  Guillaume  Farel — a  young,  energetic,  and  active 
man  —  who  abounded  in  those  qualities  in  which  the  aged 
Lefevre  was  so  deficient.  Another  coadjutor  shortly  joined 
them — no  other  than  Guillaume  Bri^onnet,  count  of  Mont- 
brun  and  bishop  of  Meaux,  who  also  became  a  convert  to  the 
new  doctrines. 

The  bishop,  on  taking  charge  of  his  diocese,  had  been 
shocked  by  the  disorders  Avhich  prevailed  there,  by  the  li- 
centiousness of  the  clergy,  and  their  general  disregard  for 
religious  life  and  duty.  As  many  of  them  were  non-resident, 
he  invited  Lefevre,  Farel,  and  others,  to  occupy  their  pulpits 
and  preach  to  the  people,  the  bishop  preaching  in  his  turn ; 
and  the  people  flocked  to  hear  them.     The  bishop  also  dis- 


REFORMATION  A T  MEA UX.  27 

tributed  the  four  Gospels  gratuitously  among  the  poor,  and 
very  soon  a  copy  was  to  be  found  in  almost  every  workshop 
in  Meaux.  A  reformation  of  manners  shortly  followed. 
Blasphemy,  drunkenness,  and  disorder  disappeared ;  and  the 
movement  spread  far  and  near. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  suj^porters  of 
the  old  Church  were  indifferent  to  these  proceedings.  At 
first  they  had  been  stunned  by  the  sudden  spread  of  the  new 
views  and  the  rapid  increase  of  the  Gospellers,  as  they  Avere 
called,  throughout  the  northern  jDrovinces ;  but  they  sjieedily 
rallied  from  their  stupor.  They  knew  that  power  was  on 
their  side  —  the  power  of  kings  and  Parliaments,  and  their 
agents;  and  these  they  loudly  called  to  their  help  for  the 
piirjDose  of  preventing  the  spread  of  heresy.  At  the  same 
time,  Rome,  roused  by  her  danger,  availed  herself  of  all  meth- 
ods for  winning  back  her  wandering  children,  by  force  if  not 
by  suasion.  The  Inquisition  was  armed  with  new  powers-, 
and  wherever  heresy  appeared,  it  was  crushed,  unsparingly, 
unpityingly.  No  matter  what  the  rank  or  learning  of  the 
suspected  heretic  might  be,  he  must  satisfy  the  tribunal  be- 
fore which  he  was  brought,  or  die  at  the  stake. 

The  priests  and  monks  of  Meaux,  though  mostly  absentees, 
finding  their  revenues  diminishing,  appealed  for  help  to  the 
Sorbonne,  the  Faculty  of  Theology  at  Paris,  and  the  Sorbonne 
'ialled  upon  Parliament  at  once  to  interpose  with  a  strong- 
hand.     The  result  was,  that  the  Bishop  of  Meaux  av as  heavi- 
ly fined,  and  he  shrank  thenceforward  out  of  sight,  and  ceased 
to  give  farther  cause  of  offense.     But  his  disciples  were  less 
pliant,  and  continued  boldly  to  preach  the  Gospel.      Jean  ' 
Leclerc  was  burnt  alive  at  Metz,  and  Jacques  Pavent  and  i 
Louis  de  Berguin  on  the  Place  de  Greve  at  Paris.     Farel  j 
escaped  into    Switzerland,  and  there    occupied  himself  in  ! 
printing  copies  of  Lefevre's  New  Testament,  thousands  of  j 
which  he  caused  to  be  disseminated  throughout  France  by  I 
the  hands  of  peddlers. 

The  Sorbonne  then  proceeded  to  make  war  against  bocks 


28  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 

and  the  printers  of  them.  Bibles  and  New  Testaments  were 
seized  wherever  found,  and  burnt ;  but  more  Bibles  and  Test- 
aments seemed  to  rise,  as  if  by  magic,  from  their  ashes.  The 
printers  who  were  convicted  of  printing  Bibles  were  next 
seized  and  burnt.  Tlie  Bourgeois  de  Paris*  gives  a  detailed 
account  of  the  human  sacrifices  offered  up  to  ignorance  and 
intolerance  in  that  city  during  the  six  months  ending  Juno, 
1534,  from  which  it  appears  that  twenty  men  and  one  woni- 
an  were  bui*nt  alive.  One  was  a  printer  of  the  Rue  Saint 
Jacques,  found  guilty  of  having  "  printed  the  books  of  Lu- 
ther." Another,  a  bookseller,  was  burnt  for  "  having  sold 
Luther."  In  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  the  Sor- 
bonne  obtained  from  the  king  an  ordinance,  which  was  pro- 
mulgated on  the  26th  of  February,  1535,  for  the  suppression 
of  printing ! 

But  it  Avas  too  late.  The  art  Avas  now  full  born,  and  could 
no  more  be  suppressed  than  light,  or  air,'  or  life.  Books  had 
become  a  public  necessity,  and  supplied  a  great  public  want; 
and  every  year  saw  them  multiplying  more  abundantly.f 

The  same  scenes  were  enacted  all  over  France,  wherever 
the  Bible  had  penetrated  and  found  followers.  Li  1545  the 
massacre  of  the  Vaudois  of  Provence  was  perpetrated,  ac- 
companied by  horrors  which  it  is  impossible  to  describe. 
This  terrible  persecution,  however,  did  not  produce  its  in- 
tended effect,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  was  followed  by  a 
strong  reaction  in  the  public  mind  against  the  fury  of  the 
persecutors.    The  king,  Francis  L,  complained  that  his  orders 

*  MiciiELET  says  the  Bourgeois  de  Paris  (Paris,  1854)  was  not  the  publi- 
cation of  a  Protestant,  which  might  be  called  in  qiu'stion,  but  of  a  "very 
zealous  Catholic." — Histoire  de  France  au  Seizihne  ;S'?Vc/t',  viii.,  ]).4n. 

t  It  has  been  calculated  (by  Daunon,  Petit,  Rudel,  Taillandier,  and  others) 
that  by  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  four  millions  of  volumes  had  been 
printed,  the  greater  part  in  folio;  and  that  between  loOO  and  1536  eiphtecn 
more  millions  of  volumes  had  been  printed.  After  that  it  is  impossible  to 
number  them.  In  1533  there  had  already  liecn  eighteen  editions  of  the  Ger- 
man Bible  printed  at  Wittemberg,  thirteen  at  Augsburg,  thirteen  at  Stras- 
burg,  twelve  at  Basle,  and  so  on.  Schcetfcr,  in  his  Injiuence  nj' Luther  on 
Educ.alioD,  says  that  Luther's  Catechism  soon  ran  to  100,000  coi)ies.  Print- 
ing was  at  the  same  time  making  rapid  strides  in  France,  England,  and  t'.ic 
Low  Countries. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  TERM  HUGUENOT.  29 


had  been  exceeded  ;  but  he  was  sick  and  almost  dying  at  the 
time,  and  had  not  the  strength  to  prosecute  the  assassins. 

There  was,  however,  a  hill  for  a  time  in  the  violence  of  the 
persecutions,  during  which  the  new  views  made  rapid  prog- 
ress ;  and  men  of  rank,  of  learning,  and  of  arms,  ranged  them- 
selves on  the  side  of"  The  Religion,"  Then  arose  the  Hugue- 
nots or  French  Protestants,*  who  shortly  became  so  numer- 
ous as  to  constitute  a  considerable  power  in  the  state,  and  to 
exercise,  during  the  next  hundred  years,  a  most  important  in- 
fluence on  the  political  history  of  France. 

The  origin  of  the  term  Huguenot  is  extremely  obscure.  It 
T.-as  at  first  applied  to  them  as  a  nickname,  and,  like  the 
Gueux  of  Flanders,  they  assumed  and  bore  it  with  pride. 
Some  suj^pose  the  term  to  be  derived  from  Iluguon,  a  word 
used  in  Touraine  to  signify  persons  Avho  walk  at  night  in  the 
streets — the  early  Protestants,  like  the  early  Christians,  hav- 
ing chosen  that  time  for  their  religious  assemblies.  Others 
are  of  opinion  that  it  was  derived  from  a  French  and  faulty 
pronunciation  of  the  German  word  Eidyenossen^  or  confeder- 
ates, the  name  given  to  those  citizens  of  Geneva  who  entered 
into  an  alliance  with  the  Swiss  cantons  to  resist  the  attemjDts 
of  Charles  m.,  duke  of  Savoy,  against  their  liberties.  The 
confederates  were  called  Eignots,  and  hence,  probably,  the 
derivation  of  the  word  Huguenots.  A  third  surmise  is,  that 
the  word  was  derived  from  one  Ungues.,  the  name  of  a  Gene- 
vese  Calvinist. 

Farther  attempts  continued  to  be  made  by  Rome  to  check 
the  progress  of  printing.  In  1599,  Pope  Paul  IV.  issued  the 
first  Index  Expur gator ius.,  containing  a  list  of  the  books  ex- 
pressly prohibited  by  the  Church.  It  included  all  Bibles 
j)rinted  in  modern  languages,  of  which  forty-eight  editions 
were  enumerated ;  while  sixty-one  printers  were  put  under  a 

*  The  followers  of  the  new  views  called  themselves  at  first  Gospellers  (from 
their  religion  being  based  on  the  reading  of  the  Gospel),  Religlojuirks,  or 
Those  of  the  Religion.  The  name  l^rotestant  was  not  applied  to  them  until 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  that  term  originally  characterizing  the 
disciples  of  the  Lutheran  Reformation  in  Germany. 


INVENTION  OF  PRINTING. 


general  ban,  and  all  works  of  every  description  issued  from 
their  presses  were  forbidden.  Notwithstanding,  however, 
these  and  similar  measures,  such  as  the  wholesale  burning  of 
Bibles  wherever  found,  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  rap- 
idly increased,  and  the  principles  of  the  Reformation  more 
and  "more  prevailed  throughout  all  the  northern  nations. 


CHAPTER  n 

EPISODE    IN  THE   LIFE    OF   PALISSY. 

At  the  time  when  the  remarkable  movement  we  have  rap- 
idly sketched  was  sweeping  round  the  frontiers  of  France, 
from  Switzerland  to  Brabant,  and  men  were  every  where 
listening  with  eagerness  to  the  promulgation  of  the  new 
ideas,  there  Avas  wandering  along  the  Rhine  a  poor  artisan, 
then  obscure,  but  afterward  famous,  who  was  seeking  to 
earn  a  living  by  the  exercise  of  his  trade.  He  could  glaze 
windows,  mend  furniture,  paint  a  little  on  glass,  draw  por- 
traits rudely,  gild  and  color  images  of  the  Virgin,  or  do  any 
sort  of  work  requiring  handiness  and  dexterity.  On  an 
emergency  he  would  even  undertake  to  measure  land,  and 
was  ready  to  turn  his  hand  to  any  thing  that  might  enable 
him  to  earn  a  living,  and  at  the  same  time  add  to  his  knowl- 
edge and  experience.  This  wandering  workman  was  no 
other  than  Bernard  Palissy — afterward  the  natural  philoso- 
j)her,  the  chemist,  the  geologist,  and  the  artist — but  more 
generally  knoAvn  as  the  great  Potter. 

Fortunately  for  our  present  purpose,  Palissy  was  also  an 
author ;  and  though  the  works  he  left  behind  him  are  Avrit- 
ten  in  a  quaint  and  simple  style,  it  is  possible  to  obtain  from 
certain  passages  in  them  a  more  vivid  idea  of  the  times  in 
which  he  lived,  and  of  the  trials  and  sufferings  of  the  Gos- 
pellers, of  whom  he  was  one  of  the  most  illustrious,  than 
from  any  other  contemporary  record.  The  life  of  Palissy,  too, 
is  eminently  illustrative  of  his  epoch ;  and  provided  we  can 
but  accurately  portray  the  life  of  any  single  man  in  relation 
to  his  epoch,  then  biography  becomes  history  in  its  truest 
sense ;  for  history,  after  all,  is  but  accumulated  biography. 


32  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALISSY. 

From  the  writings  of  Palissy,*  then,  we  gather  the  follow- 
ino-  facts  regarding  this  remarkable  man's  life  and  career. 
lie  was  born  about  the  year  1510,  at  La  Chapelle  Biron,  a 
poor  village  in  Perigord,  where  his  father  brought  him  up  to 
his  own  trade  of  a  glazier.  The  boy  was  by  nature  quick 
and  ingenious,  with  a  taste  for  drawing,  designing,  and  dec- 
oration, which  he  turned  to  account  in  painting  on  glass  and 
decorating  images  for  the  village  churches  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. Desirous  of  improving  himself  at  the  same  time  that 
he  earned  his  living,  he  resolved  on  traveling  into  other  dis- 
tricts and  countries,  according  to  the  custom  of  skilled  work- 
men in  those  days.  Accordingly,  so  soon  as  his  term  of  a}> 
prenticeship  had  expired,  he  set  out  upon  his  "  wanderschaft," 
at  about  the  age  of  twenty-one.  He  first  went  into  the  coun- 
try adjacent  to  the  Pyrenees;  and  his  joumeyings  in  those 
mountain  districts  awoke  in  his  mind  that  love  for  geology 
and  natural  history  which  he  afterward  pursued  with  so 
much  zeal.  After  settling  for  a  time  at  Tarbes,  in  the  High 
Pyrenees,  he  proceeded  northward,  through  Languedoc,  Dau- 
phiny,  part  of  Switzerland,  Alsace,  the  duchies  of  Cleves  and 
Luxemburg,  and  the  provinces  of  the  Lower  Rhine,  to  Ar- 
dennes and  Flanders. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Palissy's  line  of  travel  lay  pre- 
cisely through  the  provinces  in  which  the  people  had  been 
most  deeply  moved  by  the  recent  revolt  of  Luther  from 
Rome.  In  1517  the  Reformer  had  publicly  denounced  the 
open  sale  of  indulgences  "  by  the  profligate  monk  Tetzcl," 
and  affixed  his  celebrated  propositions  to  the  outer  pillars  of 
the  great  church  of  Wittemberg.  The  propositions  were  at 
once  printed  in  thousands,  devoured,  and  spread  abroad  in 
every  direction.  In  1518  Luther  appeared,  under  the  safe- 
conduct  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  before  the  Pope's  legate  at 
Augsburg  ;  and  in  1520  he  publicly  burnt  the  Pope's  bull  at 

*  (Euvrex  Com/dctP.'s  <k  Bernard  Palls.'s)/,  (Edition  conforme  aiix  textes  orig- 
inaux  imin-imes  dii  vivant  do  I'auteur;  avec  dcs  notes  et  unc  Notice  Histori- 
que.     Par  Paul-Antoixe  Cap,  Paris,  18i4. 


PALISSY  LEARNS  TO  READ.  33 

Wittemberg,  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  people.  All  Ger- 
many was  now  in  a  blaze,  and  Luther's  books  and  pamphlets 
were  every  Avhere  in  demand.  It  w  as  shortly  after  this  time 
that  Palissy  passed  through  the  excited  provinces.  Wher- 
ever he  went  he  heard  of  Luther,  the  Bible,  and  the  new  rev- 
elation which  it  had  brought  to  light.  The  men  of  his  own 
class,  with  whom  he  most  freely  mixed  in  the  course  of  his 
travels — artists,  mechanics,  and  artisans* — were  full  of  the 
new  ideas  which  were  stirring  the  heart  of  Germany.  These 
were  embraced  with  especial  fervor  by  the  young  and  the  en- 
ergetic. Minds  formed  and  grown  old  in  the  established 
modes  of  thought  were  unwilling  to  be  disturbed,  and  satis- 
fied to  rest  as  they  were  :  "  too  old  for  change"  was  their 
maxim.  But  it  was  different  with  the  young,  the  ardent, 
and  the  inquiring,  who  looked  before  rather  than  behind — to 
the  future  rather  than  the  past.  These  were,  for  the  most 
part,  vehement  in  support  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformatioru 
Palissy  was  then  of  an  age  at  which  the  mind  is  most  oj^en 
to  receive  new  impressions.  He  was,  moreover,  by  nature  a 
shrewd  observer  and  an  independent  thinker,  and  he  could 
not  fail  to  be  influenced  by  the  agitation  Avhich  stirred  so- 
ciety to  its  depths.  Among  the  many  things  which  Palissy 
learned  in  the  course  of  his  travels  was  the  art  of  reading 
printed  books  ;  and  one  of  the  books  which  he  learned  to 
read,  and  most  prized,  was  the  printed  Bible,  the  greatest 
marvel  of  his  time.  It  was  necessarily  read  in  secret,  for  the 
ban  of  the  Church  w^as  upon  it ;  bitt  the  prohibition  was  dis- 
regarded, and  probably  gave  even  an  additional  zest  to  the 
study  of  the  forbidden  book.  Men  recognized  each  other's 
love  for  it  as  by  a  secret  sympathy ;  and  they  gathered  to- 
gether in  workshops  and  dwellings  to  read  and  meditate  over 
it,  and  exhort  one  another  from  its  pages.  Among  these  was 
Palissy,  who,  by  the  time  he  was  thirty  years  old,  had  become 

*  An  old  Roman  Catholic  historian  says,  "Above  all,  painters,  watch- 
makers, sculptors,  goldsmiths,  booksellers,  printers,  and  others,  who.  from 
their  callings,  have  some  nobility  of  mind,  were  among  the  first  easily  sur- 
prised."— Remond — Histoire  de  VHeresie  de  ce  Siecle,  book  vii.,931. 

c 


34  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALIS SY. 

a  follower  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  believer  in  the  religion  of  the 
open  Bible.* 

Palissy  returned  to  France  in  1539,  at  a  time  "when  perse- 
cution was  at  the  hottest ;  when  printing  had  been  sujDpress- 
ed  by  royal  edict ;  when  the  reading  of  the  Bible  was  j)ro- 
hibited  on  pain  of  death,  and  Avhen  many  were  being  burnt 
alive  for  reading  and  believing  it.  The  persecution  espe- 
cially raged  in  Paris  and  the  neighborhood,  which  may  ac- 
count for  Palissy's  avoidance  of  that  city,  where  an  artist  so 
skilled  as  he  was  would  naturally  have  desired  to  settle,  and 
his  proceeding  to  the  remote  district  of  Saintonge,  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  France.  There  he  married,  and  began 
to  pursue  his  manifold  callings,  more  particularly  glass-paint- 
ing, portrait-painting,  and  land-measuring.  He  had  a  long 
and  hard  fight  for  life.  His  employment  was  fitful,  and  he 
was  often  reduced  to  great  straits.  Some  years  after  his  set- 
tlement at  Saintes,  while  still  struggling  with  poverty,  chance 
threw  in  his  way  an  enameled  cup  of  Italian  manufacture,  of 
great  beauty,  which  he  had  no  sooner  seen  than  he  desired 
to  imitate ;  and  from  that  time  the  determination  to  discover 
the  art  by  which  it  was  enameled  possessed  him  like  a  passion. 

The  story  of  Palissy's  heroic  ardor  in  prosecuting  his  re- 
searches in  connection  with  this  subject  is  Avell  known :  how 
he  built  furnace  after  furnace,  and  made  experiments  with 
them  again  and  again,  only  to  end  in  failure ;  how  he  was  all 
the  while  studying  the  nature  of  earths  and  clays,  and  learn- 
ing chemistry,  as  he  described  it,  "  with  his  teeth ;"  how  he 
reduced  himself  to  a  state  of  the  most  distressing  poverty, 
which  he  endured  amid  the  expostulations  of  his  friends,  the 

^  We  can  not  learn  from  Palissy's  writings  what  his  creed  was.  He  never 
once  mentions  the  names  of  cither  Luther  or  Calvin ;  hut  he  often  refers  to 
the  "teachings  of  the  Bible,"  and  "the  statutes  and  ordinances  of  God  as 
revealed  in  his  Word."     Here,  for  example,  is  a  characteristic  passage  : 

"Je  n'ay  trouve  rien  mcillcur  que  suivre  Ic  conscil  de  Dion,  scs  csdits, 
statuts  et  ordonnances:  et  en  regnrdant  quel  cstoit  son  vouloir.j'ay  trouve' 
que,  par  testament  dernier,  il  a  commando'  a  ses  he'ritiers  qu'ils  eussent  h, 
manger  le  jniin  an  labeur  de  lein-s  corps,  et  qu'ils  eussent  a  multiplier  Ics 
talens  qu'ils  leur  avoit  laissez  par  son  testament." — Reccptc  Veritable,  15G3. 


HIS  PURSUIT  OF  THE  ENAMEL.  35 

bitter  sarcasms  of  his  neighbors,  and,  what  was  still  worse  to 
bear,  the  reproaches  of  his  wife  and  children.  But  he  was 
borne  np  throughout  by  his  indomitable  determination,  his 
indefatigable  industry,  and  his  irrepressible  genius. 

On  one  occasion  he  sat  by  his  furnace  for  six  successive 
days  and  nights  without  changing  his  clothes.  He  made  ex- 
periment after  experiment,  and  still  the  enamel  did  not  melt. 
At  his  last  and  most  desperate  experiment,  when  the  fuel  be- 
gan to  run  short,  he  rushed  into  his  house,  seized  and  broke 
up  sundry  articles  of  furniture,  and  hurled  them  into  the  fur- 
nace to  keep  up  the  heat.  No  wonder  that  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, as  well  as  his  neighbors,  thought  the  man  had  gone 
mad.  But  he  himself  was  in  a  measure  compensated  by  the 
fact  that  the  last  great  burst  of  heat  had  melted  the  enamel; 
for,  w^hen  the  common  clay  jars,  which  had  been  put  in 
brown,  were  taken  out  after  the  furnace  had  cooled,  they 
were  found  covered  with  the  white  glaze  of  which  he  had 
been  so  long  and  so  furiously  in  search.  By  this  time,  how- 
ever, he  had  become  reduced  to  a  state  of  the  greatest  pov- 
erty. He  had  stripped  his  dwelling,  he  had  beggared  him- 
self, and  his  children  wanted  food.  "  I  was  in  debt,"  said  he, 
"  at  many  places,  and  when  two  children  were  at  nurse  I  was 
unable  to  pay  the  nurse's  wages.  No  one  helped  me.  On 
the  contrary,  people  mocked  me,  saying, '  He  will  rather  let 
his  children  die  of  hunger  than  mind  his  own  business,' " 
Others  said  of  him  that  he  was  "  seeking  to  make  false 
money."  These  jeerings  of  the  town's  folk  reached  his  ears 
as  he  passed  along  the  streets  of  Saintes,  and  cut  him  to  the 
heart. 

Like  Brindley  the  engineer,  Palissy  betook  himself  to  his 
bed  to  meditate  upon  his  troubles,  and  study  how  to  find  a 
way  out  of  them,  "  When  I  had  lain  for  some  time  in  bed," 
says  he, "  and  considered  that  if  a  man  has  fallen  into  a  ditch 
his  first  duty  is  to  try  and  raise  himself  out  of  it,  I,  being  in 
like  case,  rose  and  set  to  work  to  paint  some  pictures,  and  by 
this  and  other  means  I  endeavored  to  earn"  a  little  money. 


36  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALISSY. 

Then  I  said  to  myself  that  all  my  losses  and  risks  were  over, 
and  there  was  nothmg  now  to  hinder  me  from  making  good 
pieces  of  ware ;  and  so  I  began  again,  as  before,  to  work  at 
my  old  art."*  But  he  was  still  very  far  from  success,  and 
continued  to  labor  on  for  years  amid  misfortune,  privation, 
and  poverty.  "  All  these  failures,"  he  continues, "  occasioned 
me  such  labor  and  sadness  of  spirit  that  before  I  could  ren- 
der my  various  enamels  fusible  at  the  same  degree  of  heat,  I 
was  obliged,  as  it  were,  to  roast  myself  to  death  at  the  door 
of  the  sepulchre  ;  moreover,  in  laboring  at  such  work,  I  found 
myself,  in  the  space  of  about  ten  years,  so  Avorn  out  that  I 
was  shrunk  almost  to  a  skeleton ;  there  was  no  appearance  of 
muscle  on  my  arms  or  legs,  so  that  my  stockings  fell  aboitt 
my  feet  when  I  walked  abroad." 

His  neighbors  would  no  longer  have  patience  with  him, 
and  he  was  despised  and  mocked  by  all.  Yet  he  persevered 
with  his  art,  and  proceeded  to  make  vessels  of  divers  colors, 
which  he  at  length  began  to  be  able  to  sell,  and  thus  earned 
a  slender  maintenance  for  his  family.  "  The  hope  which  in- 
spired me,"  says  he, "  enabled  me  to  proceed  Avith  my  Avork, 
and  Avhen  people  came  to  see  me  I  sometimes  contri\'ed  to 
entertain  them  with  pleasantry,  Avhile  I  Avas  really  sad  at 
heart.  .  .  .  Worst  of  all,  the  suiferings  I  had  to  endure 
were  the  mockeries  and  persecutions  of  those  of  my  house- 
hold, Avho  were  so  unreasonable  as  to  expect  me  to  execute 
Avork  Avithout  the  means  of  doing  so.  For  years  my  furnaces 
were  Avithout  any  covering  or  protection,  and  Avhile  attend- 
ing to  them  I  have  been  exposed  for  nights,  at  the  mercy  of 
the  wind  and  the  rain,  Avithout  any  help  or  consolation,  saA'e 
it  might  be  the  meauling  of  cats  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
hoAvling  of  dogs  on  the  other.  Sometimes  the  tempest  Avould 
beat  so  furiously  against  the  furnaces  that  I  Avas  compelled 
to  leave  them,  and  seek  shelter  within  doors.  Drenched  by 
rain,  and  in  no  better  plight  than  if  I  had  been  dragged 

*  Palissat — De  PA  it  de  Terre:  CEuvrcs  Completes,  p.  318. 


HIS  SUFFERINGS. 


through  mire,  I  have  gone  to  lie  down  at  midnight,  or  at  day- 
break, stumbling  into  the  house  without  a  light,  and  reeling 
from  one  side  to  another  as  if  I  had  been  drunken,  my  heart 
filled  with  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  my  labor  after  such  long  toil- 
ing. But,  alas  !  my  home  proved  no  refuge  for  me ;  for, 
drenched  and  besmeared  as  I  was,  I  found  in  my  chamber  a 
second  persecution  w^orse  than  the  first,  which  makes  me 
even  now  marvel  that  I  was  not  utterly  consumed  by  my 
many  sorrows."* 

In  the  midst  of  his  great  distress,  religion  came  to  Palissy 
as  a  consoler.  He  found  comfort  in  recalling  to  mind  such 
passages  of  the  Bible  as  he  carried  in  his  memory,  and  which 
from  time  to  time  gave  him  fresh  hope.  "  You  will  thus  ob- 
serve," he  afterward  wrote,  "  the  goodness  of  God  to  me : 
when  I  was  in  the  depth  of  suflering  because  of  my  art.  He 
consoled  me  with  His  Gospel ;  and  when  I  have  been  ex- 
posed to  trials  because  of  the  Gospel,  then  it  has  been  with 
my  art  that  He  has  consoled  me."  When  wandering  abroad 
in  the  fields  about  Saintes,  at  the  time  of  his  greatest  troub- 
les, Palissy's  attention  Avas  wont  to  be  diverted  from  his  own 
sorrows  by  the  wonderful  beauty  and  infinite  variety  of  na- 
ture, of  Avhich  he  was  a  close  and  accurate  observer.  What 
were  his  petty  cares  and  trials  in  sight  of  the  marvelous 
works  of  God,  which  sj^oke  in  every  leaf,  and  flower,  and 
plant,  of  His  infinite  poAver,  and  goodness,  and  Avisdom? 
"When  I  contemplated  these  things,"  says  Palissy, "I  ha\^e 
fallen  upon  my  face,  and,  adoring  God,  cried  to  Him  in  spir- 
it, '  What  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  Not  to  us. 
Lord,  not  to  us,  but  to  Thy  name  be  the  honor  and  the  glo- 

ry."'t 

There  Avcre  already  many  folloAvers  of  the  Gospel  in 
Saintes  and  the  adjoining  districts.  It  so  happened  that 
Calvin  had,  at  an  early  period  in  his  life,  visited  Saintonge, 
and  soAved  its  seeds  there.     Calvin  Avas  a  native  of  Noyon, 

*  Palissy — De  VArt  de  Ten-e:  CEuvres  Completes,  p.  32]. 
f  Palissy — Receple  Veritable:  CEuvres  Completes,  116-17. 


38  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIEE  OE  PALISSY. 

iu  Picardy,  and  had  from  his  childhood  been  destined  for  the 
priesthood.  When  only  twelve  years  old  he  was  provided 
with  a  benefice,  but  by  the  time  he  grew  to  man's  estate  a 
relative  presented  him  with  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  and  he  be- 
came a  religious  reformer.  He  began,  almost  involuntarily, 
to  exhort  others  from  its  pages,  and  proceeded  to  preach  to 
the  people  at  Bourges,  at  Paris,  and  in  the  adjoinmg  dis- 
tricts. From  thence  he  went  into  Poitou  and  Saiutonge  on 
the  same  errand,  holding  his  meetings  late  at  night  or  early 
in  the  morning,  in  retired  places — in  a  cellar  or  a  garret — in 
a  wood  or  in  the  opening  of  a  rock  in  a  mountain-side ;  a  hol- 
low place  of  this  sort,  near  Poitiers,  in  which  Calvin  and  his 
friends  secretly  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper,  being  still 
known  as  "  Calvin's  Cave." 

We  are  not  informed  by  Palissy  whether  he  ever  met  Cal- 
vin in  the  course  of  his  mission  in  Saintonge,  which  occurred 
shortly  after  the  former  had  settled  at  Saintes ;  but  certain 
it  is  that  he  was  one  of  the  first  followers  and  teachers  of  the 
new  views  in  that  neighborhood.  Though  too  poor  himself 
to  possess  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  Palissy  had  often  heard  it  read 
by  others  as  well  as  read  it  himself  while  on  his  travels,  and 
his  retentive  memory  enabled  him  to  carry  many  of  its  most 
striking  passages  in  his  mind,*  which  he  was  accustomed  to 
reproduce  in  his  ordinary  speech.  Hence  the  style  of  his 
early  writings,  which  is  strongly  marked  by  Biblical  terras 
and  similitudes.  He  also  contrived  to  obtain  many  written 
extracts  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  for  the  purpose 
of  reading  them  to  others,  and  they  formed  the  texts  from 
which  he  exhorted  his  fellow  Gospellers.  For  Palissy  was 
one  of  the  earliest  preachers  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 

*  The  Vaudois  peasantry  knew  the  Bible  almost  by  heart.  Raids  were 
from  time  to  time  made  into  their  district  by  the  af^ents  of  the  Komisli 
Church  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  and  burning  all  such  copies  of  the  Bible 
as  they  could  lay  hands  on.  Knowing  this,  the  peasants  formed  societies  of 
young  persons,  each  of  whom  was  a])])ointed  to  ])reserve  in  his  nicmnrv  a 
certain  number  of  chapters;  and  thus,  though  their  Bibles  were  seized  and 
burnt,  the  Vaudois  were  still  enabled  to  refer  to  their  Bibles  through  the 
memories  of  the  young  minds  in  which  tiic  chapters  were  preserved. 


EARLY  GOSPELLERS  OF  SAINTES.  39 

tOM'ii  of  Saintes,  if  he  was  not  indeed  its  founder.  In  one  of 
his  earliest  works*  he  gives  an  account  of  the  origin  of  the 
movement,  which  is  all  the  more  interesting  as  being  that  of 
the  principal  actor  in  the  transactions  which  he  describes : 

"  Some  time  before  this,"  says  he,  writing  of  the  year  1557,  "there  was  in 
tiiis  town  a  certain  artisan,  poor  and  miserable  to  the  last  degree,  who  had  so 
great  a  desire  for  the  advancement  of  the  Gospel,  that  he  spoke  of  it  one  day 
to  another  artisan  as  poor  as  himself,  and  who  knew  as  little  of  it  as  he  did, 
for  both  knew  scarcely  any  thing.  Nevertheless,  the  one  urged  upon  the 
otiier  that  if  he  would  but  engage  to  make  some  sort  of  exliortation,  great 
benefit  might  arise  from  it;  and  though  this  last  felt  himself  to  be  utterly 
destitute  of  knowledge,  the  advice  gave  liim  courage.  So,  some  days  later, 
lie  drew  together  one  Sunday  morning  some  nine  or  ten  persons,  and  seeing 
that  he  was  badly  instructed  in  letters,  he  had  extracted  several  passages 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  having  put  them  in  writing.  And  when 
they  liad  assembled  he  read  to  them  the  passages  or  authorities,  saying,  'Let 
every  one,  as  he  has  received  good  gifts,  distribute  them  to  others ;'  and  '  Ev- 
ery tree  that  beareth  not  fruit  shall  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the  fire.'  He 
also  read  another  passage  taken  from  Deuteronomy,  wherein  it  is  said, '  Thou 
shalt  proclaim  my  law  when  seated  in  thy  house,  when  walking  by  the  way, 
wlien  lying  down,  and  when  rising  up.'  He  further  propounded  the  parable 
fif  the  talents,  and  cited  a  nnmber  of  passages,  making  practical  application 
of  them;  and  urging,  first,  that  to  every  man  appertains  the  right  of  speak- 
ing of  the  statutes  and  ordinances  of  God,  to  the  end  that  his  Word  may  not 
be  set  at  naught,  notwithstanding  our  unworthincss ;  and,  second,  that  cer- 
tain of  his  hearers  s'.iould  be  incitetl  to  follow  his  exam])le.  Accordingly, 
they  agreed  together  that  six  among  them  should  exhort  the  others  in  rota- 
tion ;  that  is  to  say,  that  each  should  take  his  turn  once  in  every  six  weeks, 
on  Sundays  only.  And  as  they  were  undertaking  a  duty,  for  the  due  per- 
formance of  which  they  had  received  no  special  instruction,  it  was  arranged 
that  they  should  put  their  exhortations  in  writing,  and  read  them  to  the  as- 
sembly. Now  all  these  things  were  done  in  accordance  with  the  good  ex- 
ample, counsel,  and  doctrine  of  the  worthy  Philebert  Hamelin.f 

*  Palissy — Recepte  Veritable,  jkv  hiquclh  tons  hs  hommes  de  la  France 
jiounont  (ijij)i entires  a  multij)litr  et  aiigincnter  leur  thresors. — CEuvres  Com- 
pletes, lOG-7. 

t  In  a  previous  part  of  the  treatise  {RecepteVeritahle)  in  which  the  above 
]);issage  occurs,  Palissy  gives  an  interesting  account  of  Philebert  Hamelin,  one 
of  the  early  martyrs  to  the  Reformed  fidth  in  the  south  of  France.  Hame- 
lin, like  Calvin,  had  been  educated  for  the  ])riestl)ood,  and,  like  him,  was  con- 
verted to  the  new  views  by  reading  and  studying  the  Bible.  He  joined  the 
Calvinist  Church  at  Geneva,  where  he  learned  the  art  of  jirinting,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  set  uj)  a  press  for  tiic  ]jurpose  of  printing  Bibles. 


40  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALIS SY. 

"Such,"  continues  Palissy,  "was  the  beginning  of  the  Reformed  Church 
at  Saintes.  I  am  confident  that  when  the  members  first  began  to  meet  they 
did  not  number  more  than  five  persons.  While  tlie  churcii  was  thus  small, 
and  Master  Philebert  was  in  prison,  there  came  to  us  a  minister  named  De 
la  Place,  wiio  had  been  sent  to  preach  at  Allevert ;  but  the  procurcur  of  Al- 
levert  amved  at  Saintes  on  the  same  day  about  the  matter  of  the  baptism 
celebrated  by  Philebert  at  the  former  place,  on  account  of  whicli  many  of  the 


From  that  time  Hamelin  went  about  from  place  to  place  throughout 
France,  selling  Bibles  and  other  religious  books,  and  every  where  finding 
persons  ready  to  help  him  in  his  work.  The  book-hawkers,  or  colporteurs, 
were  among  the  most  active  agents  of  the  Reformation.  De  Felice,  in  his 
History  of  the  Protestants  of  France,  says,  "  They  were  called  bale-bearers, 
basket  or  literary  carriers.  Tiiey  belonged  to  different  classes  of  society; 
many  were  students  in  theology,  or  even  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  Staff  in 
hand,  basket  on  back,  through  heat  and  cold,  by  lonely  ways,  tlu-ough  mount- 
ain ravines  and  dreary  morasses,  they  went  from  door  to  door,  often  ill  re- 
ceived, always  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives,  and  not  knowing  in  the  morning 
where  to  lay  their  head  at  night.  It  was  chiefly  througli  them  that  the  Bi- 
ble penetrated  into  the  manor  of  the  noble  as  well  as  the  hut  of  the  jieasant." 

Of  such  was  Philebert  Hamelin,  who  expounded  as  well  as  sold  the  Bible. 
He  frequently  visited  the  town  of  Saintes,  where  he  had  several  friends  and 
disciples,  of  whom  Palissy  was  one.  Though  feeble  in  frame,  and  suffering 
from  ill  health,  Hamelin'made  all  his  journeys  on  foot.  Friends  offered  to 
lend  him  tlieir  horses  to  ride  on ;  but  he  preferred  walking  alone  and  un- 
armed, merely  with  a  staff  in  his  hand,  and  tints  he  traveled  into  all  parts 
without  fear. 

At  Hamelin's  last  visit  to  Saintes,  some  seven  or  eight  of  his  friends  re- 
ceived him,  and  after  praying  with  them  and  counseling  them  to  meet  and 
exhort  one  another  frequently,  he  set  out  on  foot  for  Allevert.  There  he 
publicly  preached  to  many  people.  He  also  publicly  baptized  an  infant. 
This  la'tter  circumstance  having  come  to  the  ears  of  the  Bishop  of  Saintes, 
he  required  the  magistrates  immediately  to  pursue  and  apprehend  Hamelin, 
who  was  shortly  after  taken  at  the  house  of  a  gentleman,  and,  to  Palissy's 
horror  and  indignation,  lodged  in  the  common  jail  with  thieves  and  malefac- 
tors. "  He  was  so  perfect  in  his  walk,"  says  Palissy,  "  that  even  his  enemies 
themselves  were  constrained  to  acknowledge,  though  not  approving  of  his 
doctrine,  tiiat  his  was  a  most  pure  and  holy  life.  I  am,  indeed,  quite  amnzed 
that  any  men  should  have  dared  to  pronounce  sentence  of  death  upon  him, 
seeing  fhat  thev  well  knew,  for  they  had  heard,  his  godly  conversation.  No 
sooner  was  I  iiiformed  of  his  imi)risonment  tlian  I  had  the  hardilio(.d  (peril- 
ous though  the  times  then  were  !)  to  go  and  remonstrate  with  six  of  the  prin- 
cipal judges  and  magistrates  of  the  town  of  Saintes,  that  they  had  juit  in  i)rison 
a  prophet,  an  angelof  God,  sent  to  proclaim  His  message  and  tiie  judgment 
of  condemnation  to  men  in  these  latter  times,  assuring  them  tliat  during  tlie 
eleven  years  I  liad  known  the  said  Pliilebert  Hamelin  he  was  of  so  i)ure  and 
holy  a  way  of  life  that  it  seemed  to  me  that  other  men  were  altogether  wick- 
ed comp;ired  with  him." — Iiec.ej)te  Verilahle,  IOC. 

Palissy's  remonstrances,  made  at  the  ])eril  of  iiis  own  life,  were,  however, 
of  no  a/ail.  Hamelin  was  sent  to  Bordeaux  in  the  custody  of  the  provost- 
marshal.  There  he  was  tried  for  the  fatal  crime  of  heresy,  sentenced  to 
death,  and— to  use  Palissy's  words— "  hanged  like  a  common  thief." 


FIRST  CHURCH  IN  SAINTES.  \\ 

persons  there  present  were  liable  to  heavy  penalties.  This  was  the  occasion 
of  our  taking  the  said  De  la  Place  to  administer  to  us  the  Word  of  God,  and 
ho  remained  with  us  until  Monsieur  de  la  Boissiere  came,  who  is  our  minis- 
ter at  the  present  time.*  But  ours  is  indeed  a  pitiable  case,  for,  although  we 
have  a  good  will,  we  have  not  the  means  of  supporting  ministers.  De  la 
Place,  during  the  time  he  was  with  us,  was  principally  maintained  at  the  ex- 
pense of  gentlefolks,  who  often  kept  him  at  their  houses ;  but  fearing  that  our 
ministers  might  thereby  be  corrupted.  Monsieur  de  la  Boissiere  was  desired 
not  to  leave  the  town  at  the  instance  of  the  gentry,  without  leave,  excepting 
in  cases  of  emergency.  Such  being  the  case,  the  poor  man  was  as  closely 
confined  as  any  prisoner;  very  often  he  bad  to  eat  apples  and  drink  water 
for  his  dinner,  and  to  use  his  chemise  in  lieu  of  a  table-cloth  ;  for  there  were 
very  few  people  of  any  means  who  belonged  to  our  little  congregation,  and 

we  had  not  wherewithal  to  pay  him  his  stipend 

"Thus  was  the  church  first  set  up  among  us  by  a  few  poor  and  despised 
people,  with  great  difficulty,  and  amid  many  perils.  Great  was  the  detrac- 
tion we  had  to  encounter  from  wicked  and  perverse  calumniators.  Some 
said  if  our  doctrines  were  good  we  ought  to  preach  them  in  public.  Others 
alleged  that  we  met  in  secret  merely  for  purposes  of  wantonness,  and  that  at 
our  meetings  the  women  were  in  common.  Again,  notwithstanding  these 
unfounded  scandals,  God  prospered  our  efforts  so  much,  that  althougli  our 
assemblies  were  for  the  most  part  held  at  midnight,  and  our  enemies  heard 
us  passing  along  the  streets,  God  kept  them  bridled  in  such  sort  that  wc  were 
preserved  for  a  time  under  His  protection.  And  when  God  willed  that  his 
Ciiurch  should  at  length  make  a  public  manifestatian  in  open  day,  then  was 
a  great  work  done  in  our  town;  for  though  two  of  our  princij^al  men,  who 
went  to  Toulouse,  were  unable  to  obtain  permission  for  us  to  hold  our  assem- 
blies in  public,  we  nevertheless  had  the  courage  to  take  the  market-house  for 
the  purpose."! 

The  meetings  of  the  little  congregation  soon  became  more 
popular  in  Saintes.  The  people  of  the  town  went  at  first  out 
of  curiosity  to  observe  their  proceedings,  and  were  gradually 
attracted  by  the  earnestness  of  the  worshipers.  The  mem- 
bers of  "The  Religion"  were  knoAvn  throughout  the  town  to 
,  be  persons  of  blameless  lives,  peaceable,  well-disposed,  and 
industrious,  who  commanded  the  respect  even  of  their  ene- 

*  The  Recejite  Veritable,  in  which  Palissy  gives  this  account,  is  sujiposed 
to  have  been  written  by  him  in  ]jrison  at  Bordeaux,  wiiere  he  was  confined 
for  the  crime  of  heresy,  as  will  be  hereafter  ex])lained,  in  the  year  1559-00. 
The  treatise  was  jirinted  at  La  Kochelle  in  15C3. 

t  Recepte  Veritable,  lOG-0. 


42  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALISSY. 

inies.  At  length  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Saintes  began  to 
say  to  their  monks  and  priests, "  Sec  these  ministers  of  the 
new  religion ;  they  make  prayers ;  tliey  lead  a  holy  life ; 
why  can  not  yon  do  the  like  ?"  The  monks  and  priests,  not 
to  be  outdone  by  the  men  of  Tlie  Religion,  then  began  to 
pray  and  to  preach  like  the  ministers ;  "  so  that  in  those 
days,"  to  use  the  words  of  Palissy, "  there  were  prayers  daily 
in  this  town,  both  on  one  side  and  the  other."  So  kindly  a 
spirit  began  to  spring  up  under  the  operation  of  these  influ- 
ences, that  the  religious  exercises  of  both  parties — of  the  old 
and  the  new  religion — were  for  a  short  time  celebrated  in 
some  of  the  churches  by  turns ;  one  portion  of  the  peo2)le  at- 
tending the  prayers  of  the  old  church,  and  another  portion 
the  preaching  of  the  new ;  so  that  the  Catholics,  returning 
from  celebrating  the  mass,  Avere  accustomed  to  meet  the 
Huguenots  on  their  way  to  hear  the  exhortation,*  as  is  usual 
in  Holland  at  this  day.  The  elFects  of  this  joint  religious  ac- 
tion on  the  morals  of  the  people  are  best  described  in  Palis- 
sy's  OAvn  words : 

"The  progress  made  by  us  was  sucli,  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years, by 
I  lie  time  that  onr  enemies  rose  uj)  to  pillage  and  persecute  us,  lewd  plays, 
dances,  ballads,  gorniandizings,  and  superfluities  of  dress  and  head-gear,  liad 
almost  entirely  ceased.  Scarcely  was  any  bad  language  to  be  heard  on  any 
side,  nor  were  tliere  any  more  crimes  and  scandals.  Lawsuits  greatly  di- 
minished ;  for  no  sooner  had  any  two  persons  of  The  Kcligion  fallen  out, 
th;;n  means  were  found  to  bring  them  to  an  agreement ;  moreover,  very 
often,  before  beginning  any  lawsuit,  the  one  would  not  begin  it  before  first 
exhorting  the  other.  When  tlie  time  for  celebrating  Easter  drew  near,  many 
differences,  discussions,  and  quarrels  were  thus  stayed  and  settled.  There 
were  then  no  questions  among  them,  but  only  ]isaluis,  ])rayers,  and  spiritual 
canticles ;!  nor  was  there  any  more  desire  for  lewd  and  dissolute  songs. 

*  Alfukd  Domesnil — Bernard  Palis.ty,  Lc  Poller  de  Tcrre ;  Paris,  Gres- 
sart,  p.  120. 

t  The  Keformers  early  enlisted  music  in  their  service,  and  it  exercised 
a  jjowerful  influence  in  extending  the  new  movement  among  the  jicople. 
"Music, "said  Lutl)cr,  "is  the  art  of  the  ])r(i]ihcts.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  and  delightful  ])resents  that  God  lias  given  us.  Satan  can  not 
make  head  against  music."  Luther  was  a  ))oet  as  well  as  a  musician  ;  his 
Ein\fi'ste  Ihiri)  ist  nnsi'.r  d'ott  (one  of  the;  lliemps  of  Meyerbeer's  Jfw/iienols), 
which  rang  througli  all  Germany,  was  tiie  "  .Marseillaise"  of  the  lieformation. 


SOCIAL  REFORMATION  IN  SAINTES.  43 

« 

Indeed,  The  Ileligion  made  such  jirogress,  that  even  the  magistrates  began 
to  jjiohibit  tilings  that  had  grown  up  under  their  authority.  Thus  tliey  for- 
bade inn-keepers  to  permit  gambling  or  dissipation  to  be  carried  on  within 
their  premises,  to  the  enticement  of  men  away  from  their  own  homes  and 
families. 

"In  those  days  might  be  seen,  on  Sundays,  bands  of  work-people  walking 
abroad  in  the  meadows,  the  groves,  and  the  fields,  singing  psalms  and  spirit- 
ual songs,  or  reading  to  and  instructing  one  another.  There  might  also  be 
seen  girls  and  maidens  seated  in  groups  in  the  gardens  and  pleasant  ]ilaces, 
siiiging  songs  on  sacred  themes;  or  boys  accompanied  by  their  teachers, the 
effects  of  whose  instruction  had  already  been  so  salutary,  that  those  young 
persons  not  only  exhibited  a  manly  bearing,  but  a  manful  steadfastness  of 
conduct.  Indeed,  these  various  influences,  working  one  with  another,  had 
iih-eady  effected  so  much  good,  that  not?  only  had  the  habits  and  modes  of 
H.'o  of  the  people  been  reformed,  but  their  very  countenances  themselves 
seemed  to  be  changed  and  improved."* 

But  this  happy  state  of  affairs  did  not  last  long.  While 
the  ministers  of  the  new  religion  and  priests  of  the  old  (with 
a  few  exceptions)  were  working  thus  harmoniously  together 
at  Saintes,  events  were  rapidly  drawing  to  a  crisis  in  other 
parts  of  France.  The  heads  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Clmrch 
saw  with  alarm  the  rapid  strides  which  the  new  religion  was 
making,  and  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  population  were 
day  by  day  escaping  from  their  control.  Pope  Pius  TV., 
through  his  agents,  urged  the  decisive  interference  of  the 

Luther  had  improved  both  the  words  and  the  music  two  days  before  his  ap- 
pearance at  the  Diet  of  Worms.  As  he  was  journeying  toward  that  citv, 
lie  caught  sight  of  its  bell-towers  in  the  distance,  on  which  he  rose  up  in  liis 
cliariot  and  sang  the  noble  song. 

The  Fiench  Reformers  also  enlisted  music  in  their  service  at  an  early 
periiid.  The  psalms  were  translated  by  Clement  Marot  and  Theodore  de 
Beza,  set  to  attractive  music,  and  sung  in  harmony  in  family  worsliip,  in  tlie 
streets  and  fields,  and  in  congregational  meetings.  During  a  lull  in  the 
persecution  at  Paris  in  1558,  thousands  of  persons  assembled  at  the  Pre-aux- 
Cleres  to  listen  to  the  psalms  sung  by  the  men  of  "The  Peligion"  as  tiiev 
marched  along.  But  when  the  persecution  revived,  the  singing  of  j)salms 
was  one  of  the  things  most  strictly  interdicted,  even  on  pain  of  death. 

Calvin  also,  at  Geneva,  took  great  care  to  have  the  psalms  set  to  good 
music.  lie  employed,  with  that  object,  the  best  composers,  and  distributed 
printed  copies  of  the  music  thnuighout  all  the  churches.  Thus  jjsalmody, 
in  which  the  whole  ])eo])le  could  join,  every  where  became  an  essential  part 
of  the  service  of  the  Refoimed  Church;  the  chants  of  the  Roman  Catliolics 
having,  until  then,  been  sung  only  by  the  ]iriests  or  by  hired  performers. 

*  Palissy — CEuvres  Completes :  Reccj>ie  Veritable,  108. 


44  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  FALISSY. 

secular  nutliority  to  stay  the  progress  of  heresy  ;  and  Philip 
n.  of  Sjiaiu  supported  him  with  all  his  influence.  The  Hu- 
guenots had,  by  virtue  of  their  increasing  numbers,  become 
a  political  power ;  and  many  of  the  leading  politicians  of 
France  embraced  the  Reformed  cause,  not  because  they  were 
impressed  by  the  truth  of  the  new  views,  but  because  they 
were  capable  of  being  used  as  an  instrument  for  party  war- 
fare. Ambitious  men,  opposed  to  the  court  party,  arrayed 
themselves  on  the  side  of  the  Huguenots,  caring  perhaps  lit- 
tle for  their  principles,  but  mainly  actuated  by  the  desire  of 
promoting  their  own  personal  ends.  Thus  political  and  re- 
ligious dissension  combined  .together  to  fan  the  fury  of  the 
contending  parties  into  a  flame ;  the  councils  of  state  became 
divided  and  distracted  ;  there  was  no  controlling  mediating 
power ;  the  extreme  partisans  were  alike  uncompromising  ; 
and  the  social  outbreak,  long  imminent,  at  length  took  place. 
The  head  of  the  Church  in  France  alarmed  the  king  with 
fears  for  his  throne  and  his  life.  "If  the  secular  arm,"  said 
the  Cardinal  de  Lorraine  to  Henry  H., "  fails  in  its  duty,  all 
the  malcontents  will  throw  themselves  into  this  detestable 
sect.  They  Avill  flrst  destroy  the  ecclesiastical  power,  after 
which  it  will  be  the  turn  of  the  royal  power."  The  secular 
arm  was  not  slow  to  strike.  In  1550,  a  royal  edict  was  pub- 
lished declaring  the  crime  of  heresy  punishable  by  death,  and 
forbidding  the  judges  to  remit  or  mitigate  the  penalty.  The 
fires  of  persecution,  which  had  long  been  smouldering,  again 
burst  forth  all  over  France.  The  provincial  Parliament  insti- 
tuted Chamhrcs  ardentes,  so  called  because  they  condemned 
to  the  fire  all  who  Avere  accused  and  convicted  of  the  crime 
of  heresy.  Palissy  himself  has  vividly  narrated  the  effect  of 
these  relentless  measures  in  his  own  district  of  Saintes: 

"The  very  tlionght  of  the  evil  deeds  of  those  days,"  says  he,  "when  wicked 
men  were  let  loose  upon  us  to  scatter,  overwhelm,  ruin,  .ind  destroy  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Reformed  faith,  fills  my  mind  witli  horror.  That  I  might  bs 
out  of  tlic  wny  of  their  frightful  and  execrable  tyrannies,  and  in  order  not  to 
be  a  witness  of  tlie  cruelties,  robberies,  and  murders  perpetrated  in  this  rural 


EMPLOYED  BY  MONTMORENCY.  45 

neighborhood,  I  concealed  myself  at  home,  remaining  there  for  tlic  space  of 
two  months.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  during  that  time  hell  itself  had  broken 
loose,  and  that  raging  devils  had  entered  into  and  taken  possession  of  the 
town  of  Saintes.  For  in  the  place  where  I  had  shortly  before  heard  only 
psalms  and  spiritual  songs,  and  exhortations  to  pure  and  honest  living,  I  now 
heard  nothing  but  blasphemies,  assaults,  threatenings,  tumults,  abominable 
language,  dissoluteness,  and  lewd  and  disgusting  songs,  of  such  sort  that  it 
seemed  to  me  as  if  all  purity  and  godliness  had  become  completely  stifled  and 
extinguished.  Among  other  horrors  of  the  time,  there  issued  forth  from  the 
Castle  of  Taillebourg  a  band  of  wicked  imps  who  worked  more  mischief  even 
than  any  of  the  devils  of  the  old  school.  On  their  entering  the  town  accom- 
panied by  certain  priests,  with  drawn  swords  in  their  hands,  they  shouted, 
'Where  are  they?  let  us  cut  their  throats  instantly!'  though  they  knew  well 
enough  that  there  was  no  resistance  to  them,  those  of  the  Reformed  Church 
having  all  taken  to  flight.  To  make  matters  worse,  they  met  an  innocent 
Parisian  in  the  street,  reported  to  have  money  about  him,  and  him  they  set 
upon  and  killed  without  resistance,  first  stripping  him  to  his  shirt  before 
putting  him  to  death.  Afterward  they  went  from  house  to  house,  stealing, 
plundering,  robbing,  gormandizing,  mocking,  swearing,  and  uttering  foul 
blasphemies  both  against  God  and  man."* 

During  the  two  months  that  Palissy  remained  sechicled  at 
liome,  he  busily  oecujjied  himself  in  perfecting  the  secret  of 
the  enamel,  after  which  he  had  been  so  long  in  search.  For, 
notwithstanding  his  devotion  to  the  exercises  of  his  religion, 
he  continued  to  devote  himself  with  no  less  zeal  to  the  prac- 
tice of  his  art ;  and  his  fame  as  a  potter  already  extended 
beyond  the  bounds  of  his  district.  He  had,  indeed,  been  so 
fortunate  as  by  this  time  to  attract  the  notice  of  a  powerful 
noble,  the  Duke  of  Montmorency,  Constable  of  France,  then 
engaged  in  building  the  magnificent  chateau  of  Ecouen,  at 
St.  Denis,  near  Paris.  Specimens  of  Palissy's  enameled  tiles 
had  been  brought  under  the  duke's  notice,  who  admired  them 
so  much  that  he  at  once  gave  Palissy  an  order  to  execute  the 
pavement  for  his  new  residence.  He  even  advanced  a  sum 
of  money  to  the  potter,  to  enable  him  to  enlarge  his  works, 
so  as  to  complete  the  order  with  dispatch. 

Palissy's  opinions  were  of  course  well  known  in  his  dis- 
*  Palisst — CEuvres  Completes  :  Recepte  Veritable,  111. 


46  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALISSY. 

trict,  where  he  had  been  the  founder,  and  was  in  a  measure 
the  leader,  of  the  Reformed  sect.  The  duke  was  doubtless 
informed  of  the  danger  which  his  potter  ran  on  the  outbreak 
of  the  persecution,  and  accordingly  used  his  influence  to  ob- 
tain a  safeguard  for  him  from  the  Duke  of  Montpensier,  who 
then  commanded  the  royal  army  in  Saintonge.  But  even 
this  protection  Avas  insufficient ;  for,  as  the  persecution  Avax- 
ed  hotter,  and  th<3  search  for  heretics  became  keener,  Palissy 
found  his  workshop  no  longer  safe.  At  lengtli  he  was  seized, 
dragged  from  his  home,  and  hurried  off"  by  night  to  Bor- 
deaux, to  be  put  upon  his  trial  for  the  crime  of  heresy.  And 
this  first  great  potter  of  France  —  this  true  man  of  genius, 
religion,  and  virtue — would  certainly  have  been  tried  and 
burnt,  as  hundreds  more  were,  but  for  the  accidental  circum- 
stance that  the  Duke  of  Montmorency  was  in  urgent  want 
of  enameled  tiles  for  his  castle  floor,  and  that  Palissy  was 
the  only  man  in  France  capable  of  executing  them. 

In  the  epistle  dedicatory  to  the  Recepte  Veritable^  Palissy, 
addressing  the  duke,  says,  Avith  much  apparent  simplicity, 
"  I  assure  you,  in  all  truth,  that  my  enemies  have  really  no 
cause  against  me,  except  that  I  have  many  times  shown  them 
certain  passages  of  Scripture,  Avherein  it  is  Avritten  that  he  is 
miserable  and  accursed  Avho  drinks  the  milk,  and  clotlies 
himself  with  the  wool  of  the  flock,  but  gives  them  no  pas- 
ture. And  although  my  doing  so  ought  to  have  incited  them 
to  love  me,  it  only  had  the  effV)rt  of  inducing  them  to  de- 
stroy me  as  a  malefactor."*     It  is  not  improbable  that  the 

*  In  his  prefatory  address  to  "the -reader"  he  also  says:  "Je  voudrois 
prior  la  noblesse  de  France,  ausqnels  le  j)ourtrait  jwurroit  beaucoup  scniir, 
qu'  apres  que  j'auray  employe  mon  temps  ])our  Icur  faire  service,  qu'ils  leur 
jilaise  ne  me  rendre  mal  pour  bien,  comme  ont  fait  Ics  Ecclesiastiques  Eo- 
mains  de  cettc  ville,  lesquels  m'ont  voulu  faire  jiendre  pour  leiir  avoir  pour- 
chassc  le  plus  grand  bien  que  ianiais  leur  pourroit  aduenir,  qui  est  jiour  les 
avoir  voulu  inciter  a  paistre  leur  troupeaux  suivant  le  commandcmcnt  de 
Dieu.  Et  sauroit-on  dire  que  iamais  ie  lour  eussc  fait  auciin  tort?  Mais 
parce  que  ie  leur  anois  rcmonstrc'  loin-  perdition  au  dixhuitienie  de  I'Apoca- 
lypse,  tendant  a  fin  de  une  authorite'  cscrite  au  projihete  leremio,  oii  il  dit: 
Malediction  snr  vous,  Pasteurs,  qui  niangez  le  lait  et  vestissez  la  laine,  et 
laisscz  mes  brebis  csparses  par  les  montagnes  !  Ie  les  redcmanderay  de  nrs- 
tre  main.     Eux  vovans  telle  chose,  au  lieu  dc  s'amender,  lis  se  sent  eudi.  ■- 


PALISS Y  IMPRISONED  AT  B ORDEA  UX.  4 7 

sending  of  Palissy  to  Bordeaux,  to  be  tried  there  instead  of 
at  Saintes,  was  a  ruse  on  the  part  of  the  Duke  of  Montpen- 
sier,  to  gain  time  until  the  Constable  could  be  informed  of 
the  danger  which  threatened  the  life  of  his  potter ;  for  Palis- 
sy adds, "  It  is  a  certain  truth  that,  had  I  been  tried  by  the 
judges  of  Saintes,  they  would  have  caused  me  to  die  before 
I  could  have  obtained  from  you  any  help."     He  proceeds : 

"I  would  have  taken  very  good  care  not  to  have  fallen  into  the  sanguin- 
ary hands  of  my  enemies,  had  it  not  been  that  I  relied  upon  their  having 
respect  for  your  work  on  which  I  was  engaged,  as  well  as  on  the  protection 
of  my  lord  the  Duke  of  Montpensier,  who  gave  me  a  safeguard,  prohibiting 
them  from  taking  notice  of  or  interfering  with  me,  or  with  my  house,  well 
knowing,  as  he  did,  that  no  one  could  execute  your  tiles  but  myself.  So. 
being  in  their  hands  a  prisoner,  the  Seigneur  de  Burie,  the  Seigneur  de  Jar- 
nac,  and  the  Seigneur  de  Fonts  made  every  effort  toward  my  deliverance, 
in  order  that  your  work  might  be  completed.  Nevertheless,  my  enemies 
sent  me  by  night  to  Bordeaux  by  roundabout  roads,  having  no  regard  either 
for  your  dignity  or  your  desires.  This  I  found  very  strange,  seeing  that  the 
Count  Kochefoucauld,  although  for  the  time  he  took  the  part  of  your  adver- 
saries, nevertheless  felt  so  much  pride  in  your  nonor  that  he  did  not  wish 
any  other  work  than  yours  to  be  proceeded  with  in  my  pottery,  because  of 
your  commands ;  while  my  persecutors,  on  the  contrary,  had  no  sooner 
made  me  prisoner  than  they  broke  into  my  workshop  and  made  a  public 
place  of  part  thereof,  for  they  had  come  to  a  resolution  in  the  Maison  de 
Villc  to  raze  my  work  to  the  ground,  though  it  had  been  partly  erected  at 
your  expense ;  and  this  resolution  they  would  have  carried  out  had  it  not 
been  that  the  Seigneur  de  Ponts  and  his  lady  entreated  the  aforesaid  per- 
sons not  to  commit  such  an  outrage.  I  have  set  down  all  these  things  in 
writing  in  order  that  you  may  see  that  I  was  not  committed  to  prison  as  a 
thief  or  a  murderer.  I  know  that  you  will  bear  these  things  in  remembrance 
both  as  to  time  and  place,  seeing  that  your  work  must  cost  you  much  more 
than  it  otherwise  would  have  done,  through  the  injury  you  have  sustained 
in  my  person  ;  nevertheless  I  hope  that,  following  the  counsel  of  Gpd,  you 
will  render  good  for  evil,  which  is  my  desire,  while  for  my  part  I  will  en- 


ds, et  se  sont  bnndez  cnntre  la  lumiere,  a  fin  de  cheminer  le  surjilus  de  leurs 
iours  en  tenebres,  et  ensuyvans  leurs  voluptez  ct  desirs  charnels  accoustu- 
mez.  le  n'eusse  iamais  pense  que  par  la  ils  eussent  voulu  prendre  occasion 
de  me  faire  mourir.  Dieu  m'est  temoin  que  le  mal  qu'ils  m'ont  fait  n'a  este 
pour  autre  occasion  que  pour  la  susdite.  Ce  neantmoins,  ie  prie  Dieu  qu'ils 
les  veuille  amcndor." — Preface,  p.  11,  12. 


48  EPISODE  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PALISSY. 

deavor  to  the  best  of  my  ]io\ver  to  repay  the  many  benefits  which  you  have 
been  ]ileased  to  confer  upon  nie."* 

To  return  to  the  narrative.  No  sooner  did  Montmorency 
hear  of  the  peril  into  which  his  potter  had  fallen,  and  find 
that  unless  he  bestirred  himself  Palissy  would  be  burnt  and 
his  tiles  for  Ecouen  remain  unfinished,  than  he  at  once  used 
his  influence  with  Catharine  de  Medicis,  the  queen-mother, 
with  whom  he  was  then  all-powerful,  and  had  him  forthwith 
appointed  "Inventor  of  Rustic  Figulines  to  the  King."  This 
appointment  had  the  immediate  effect  of  withdrawing  Palis- 
sy from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Parliament  of  Bordeaux,  and 
transferring  him  to  that  of  the  Grand  Council  of  Paris,  which 
was  tantamount  to  an  indefinite  adjournment  of  his  case. 
Tlie  now  royal  potter  was  accordingly  released  from  prison, 
and  returned  to  Saintes  to  find  his  workshop  roofless  and  de- 
vastated. He  at  once*made  arrangements  for  leaving  the 
place ;  and,  shaking  the  dust  of  Saintes  from  his  feet,  he 
shortly  after  removed  to  the  Tuileriesf  at  Paris,  where  he 
long  continued  to  carry  on  the  manufacture  of  his  famous 
pottery. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  pursue  the  career  of  Palissy  farther 
than  to  add  that  the  circumstance  of  his  being  employed  by 
the  bigoted  Catharine  de  Medicis  had  not  the  slightest  effect 
in  inducing  him  to  change  his  religion.  He  remained  a 
Huguenot,  and  stoutly  maintained  his  opinions  to  the  last — 
so  stoutly,  indeed,  that  toward  the  close  of  his  life,  when  an 
old  man  of  seventy-eight,  he  was  again  arrested  as  a  heretic 
and  imprisoned  in  the  Bastile.  He  Avas  threatened  with 
death  unless  he  recanted.  But,  though  he  was  feeble,  and 
trembling  on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  his  spirit  was  as  brave 
as  ever.  He  was  as  obstinate  now  in  holding  to  his  religion 
as  he  had  been  more  than  thirty  years  before  in  hunting  out 

*  Preface  to  Eecepte  Veritable,  addressed  by  Palissy  to  "Monseigncur  Ic 
Due  de  Montmorency,  Pair  et  Conncstablc  de  France." 

t  Tuileries— so  called  from  the  tile-works  originally  established  there  by 
Francis  I.  in  1518. 


IMPRISONED  IN  THE  BASTILE.  49 

the  secret  of  the  enamel.  Mathieu  de  Launay,  minister  of 
state,  one  of  the  sixteen  members  of  council,  insisted  that 
Palissy  should  be  publicly  burnt ;  but  the  Due  de  Mayenne, 
who  protected  him,  contrived  to  protract  the  proceedings 
and  delay  the  sentence. 

Tlie  French  historian  D'Aubigne,  in  his  Universal  History, 
describes  Henry  lU.  as  visiting-  Palissy  in  person,  with  the 
object  of  inducing  him  to  abjure  his  faith.  "  My  good  man," 
said  the  king,  "  you  have  now  served  my  mother  and  myself 
for  forty-five  years.  We  have  put  up  with  your  adhering  to 
your  religion  amid  fires  and  massacres.  But  now  I  am  so 
pressed  by  the  Guise  party,  as  well  as  by  my  own  people, 
that  I  am  constrained  to  leave  you  in  the  hands  of  your  ene- 
mies, and  to-morrow  you  will  be  burnt  unless  you  become 
converted."  "  Sire,"  answered  the  unconquerable  old  man, 
"  I  am  ready  to  give  my  life  for  the  glory  of  God.  You  have 
said  many  times  that  you  have  pity  on  me ;  now  I  have  pity 
on  you,  Avho  have  pronounced  the  words  '  I  am  constrained.' 
It  is  not  spoken  like  a  king,  sire  ;  it  is  what  you,  and  those 
who  constrain  you,  the  Guisards  and  all  your  people,  can 
never  efiect  upon  me,  for  I  know  how  to  die." 

Palissy  was  not  burnt,  but  died  in  the  Bastile,  after  about 
a  year's  imprisonment,  courageously  persevering  to  the  end, 
and  glorying  in  being  able  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his  faith. 
Thus  died  a  man  of  truly  great  and  noble  character,  of  irre- 
pressible genius,  indefatigable  industry,  heroic  endurance, 
and  inflexible  rectitude  —  one  of  France's  greatest  and  no- 
blest sons. 

D 


CHAPTER  m. 

PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED  IN  FRANCE  AND 
FLANDERS. 

Palissy  was  not  the  only  man  of  genius  in  France  who 
embraced  the  Reformed  faith.  The  tendency  of  books  and 
the  Bible  was  to  stimulate  inquiry  on  the  part  of  all  who 
studied  them ;  to  extend  the  reign  of  thought,  and  emanci- 
pate the  mind  from  the  dominion  of  mere  human  authority. 
Hence  we  find  such  men  as  Peter  Ramus  and  Joseph  Justus 
Scaliger,  the  philosophers ;  Charles  Dumoulin,  the  jurist ;  Am- 
brose Pare,  the  surgeon;  Henry  Stephens  (or  Estienne),  the 
printer  and  scholar;*  Jean  Goujon,  the  sculptor;  Charles 
Goudimel,  the  musical  composer ;  and  Oliver  de  Serre,  the 
agriculturist,  were  all  Protestants.  These  were  among  the 
very  first  men  of  their  time  in  France. 

Persecution  did  not  check  the  spread  of  the  new  views ;  on 
the  contrary,  it  extended  them.  The  spectacle  of  men  and 
women  publicly  sufiering  death  for  their  faith,  expiring  under 
the  most  cruel  tortures  rather  than  deny  their  convictions, 
attracted  the  attention  even  of  the  incredulous.  Their  curi- 
osity Avas  roused ;  they  desired  to  learn  what  there  was  in 
the  forbidden  Bible  to  inspire  such  constancy  and  endurance ; 
and  they  too  read  the  book,  and  in  many  cases  became  fol- 
lowers of  The  Religion. 

Thus  the  new  views  spread  rapidly  all  over  France.  They 
not  only  became  established  in  all  the  large  towns,  but  pene- 
trated the  rural  districts,  more  esjaecially  in  the  south  and 

*  The  Stephenses,  being  threatened  with  persecution  by  the  Sorbonne  be- 
cause of  the  editions  of  the  Bible  and  New  Testament  printed  by  them,  were 
under  the  necessity  of  leaving  I'aris  for  Geneva,  where  they  settled,  and  a 
long  succession  of  illustrious  scholars  and  printers  handed  down  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  family. 


MEETING  OF  THE  STATES-GENERAL.  51 


southeast  of  France.  The  social  misery  which  pervaded 
those  districts  doubtless  helped  the  spread  of  the  new  doc- 
trines among  the  lower  classes ;  for  "  there  was  even  more 
discontent  abroad,"  said  Brantome,  "than  Huguenotism." 
But  they  also  extended  among  the  learned  and  the  wealthy. 
The  heads  of  the  house  of  Bourbon,  Antoine,  duke  ofVen- 
dome,  and  Louis,  prince  of  Conde,  declared  themselves  in 
favor  of  the  new  views.  The  former  became  the  husband 
of  the  celebrated  Jeanne  D'Albret,  queen  of  Navarre,  daugh- 
ter of  the  Protestant  Margaret  of  Valois,  and  the  latter  be- 
came the  recognized  leader  of  the  Huguenots.  The  head  of 
the  Coligny  family  took  the  same  side.  The  Montmorencies 
were  divided ;  the  Constable  halting  between  the  two  opin- 
ions, waiting  to  see  which  should  prove  the  stronger ;  while 
others  of  the  family  openly  sided  with  the  Reformed.  In- 
deed it  seemed  at  one  time  as  if  France  were  on  the  brink  of 
becoming  Protestant.  In  1561  the  alarmed  Cardinal  de 
Sainte-Croix  wrote  to  the  Pope,  "  The  kingdom  is  already 
half  Huguenot." 

When  Charles  IX.  succeeded  to  the  throne  in  1560,  he  Avas 
a  boy  only  ten  years  old,  and  entirely  under  the  control  of 
Catharine  de  Medicis,  his  mother.  The  finances  of  the  king- 
dom were  found  to  be  in  a  deplorable  state,  and  the  public 
purse  was  almost  empty.  Society  was  distracted  by  the 
feuds  of  the  nobles,  over  whom,  as  in  Scotland  about  the 
same  period,  the  monarch  exercised  no  effective  control. 

France  had,  however,  her  Parliament  or  States-General, 
which  in  a  measure  placed  the  king's  government  en  rapport 
with  the  nation.  On  its  assembling  in  December,  1560,  the 
Chancellor  de  L'Hopital  exhorted  men  of  all  parties  to  rally 
round  the  young  king;  and,  while  condemning  the  odious 
punishments  which  had  recently  been  inflicted  on  persons  of 
the  Reformed  faith,  he  announced  the  intended  holding  of  a 
national  council,  and  expressed  the  desire  that  thencefor- 
ward France  should  recognize  neither  Huguenots  nor  Pa- 
pists, but  only  Frenchmen. 


52       PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

This  was  the  first  utterance  of  the  voice  of  conciliation. 
The  Protestants  heard  it  with  joy,  their  enemies  with  rage. 
Jean  Quintm,  the  rej^resentative  of  the  clergy,  demanded  that 
measures  should  be  taken  to  deliver  France  from  heresy,  and 
that  Charles  IX.  should  vindicate  his  claim  to  the  title  of 
"  Most  Christian  King."  Lange,  the  spokesman  of  the  Tiers 
Etat,  on  the  other  hand,  declared  against "  the  three  princijjal 
vices  of  the  ecclesiastics — pride,  avarice,  and  ignorance,"  and 
urged  that  they  should  return  to  the  simplicity  of  the  prim'- 
tive  Church.  The  nobles,  divided  among  themselves,  de- 
manded, some  that  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  should  be 
forbidden,  and  others  that  there  shoiild  be  general  freedom 
of  worship ;  but  all  who  sj^oke  were  unanimous  in  acknowl- 
edging the  necessity  for  a  reform  in  the  discipline  of  the 
Church.* 

While  the  state  of  religion  thus  occupied  the  deputies,  an 
equally  grave  question  occupied  the  court.  There  was  no 
money  in  the  exchequer ;  the  rate  of  interest  was  twelve  per 
cent.,  and  forty-three  millions  of  francs  were  required  to  be 
raised  from  an  impoverished  nation.  The  deputies  were 
alarmed  at  the  appalling  figiire  which  the  chancellor  speci- 
fied, and,  declaring  that  they  had  not  the  requisite  power  to 
A'ote  the  required  sum,  they  broke  up  amid  agitation,  leaving 
De  L'Hopital  at  variance  with  the  Parliament,  Avhich  refused 
to  register  the  edict  of  amnesty  to  the  Protestants  which  the 
king  had  proclaimed. 

The  king's  minister  was,  however,  desirous  of  bringing  all 
parties  to  an  agreement,  if  possible,  and  especially  of  allaying 
the  civil  discord  which  seemed  to  be  fast  precipitating  France 
into  civil  war.  He  accordingly,  with  the  sanction  of  the 
queen-mother,  arranged  for  a  conference  between  the  heads 
of  the  religious  parties,  which  took  place  at  Vassy,  in  the 
presence  of  the  king  and  his  court,  in  August,  1561.  Pope 
Pius  IV.  was  greatly  exasperated  Avhen  informed  of  the  in- 
tended conference,  and  declared  himself  to  have  been  betray- 

*  PCAUX — Ilistoire  de  la  ReJorDiation  Fran^aise,  ii.,  82. 


A  CONFERENCE  HELD. 


ed  by  Catharine  de  Medicis.*  The  granting  of  such  a  confer- 
ence was  a  recognition  of  the  growing  power  of  heresy  in 
France — the  same  heresy  which  had  already  deprived  Rome 
of  her  dominion  over  the  mind  of  England  and  half  Germany. 
The  Pope's  fears  were,  doubtless,  not  without  foundation ; 
and  had  France  at  that  juncture  possessed  a  Knox  or  a  Lu- 
ther—  a  Regent  Murray  or  a  Lord  Burleigh  —  the  results 
would  have  been  widely  different.  But  as  it  was,  the  Re- 
formed party  had  no  better  leader  than  the  scholarly  and 
pious  Theodore  de  Beza  ;  and  the  conference  had  no  other 
result  than  to  drive  the  contending  parties  more  widely 
asunder  than  before. 

Although  a  royal  edict  was  published  in  January,  1562, 
guaranteeing  to  the  Protestants  liberty  of  worship,  the  con- 
cession was  set  at  defiance  by  the  Papal  party,  whose  leaders 
urged  on  the  people  in  many  districts  to  molest  and  attack 

*  PcAux  (ii.,  98)  quotes  a  remarkable  letter  written  at  this  time  by  Cath- 
arine de  iMedicis  to  the  Pope,  defending  herself  for  having  sanctioned  the 
conference,  and  urging  the  necessity  for  a  reform  in  the  Church.  "The 
number  of  those  who  have  separated  themselves  from  the  Roman  Church," 
she  said,  "is  so  great  that  they  can  no  longer  be  restrained  by  severity  of 
law  or  force  of  arms.  They  have  become  so  powerful  by  reason  of  the  no- 
bles and  magistrates  who  have  joined  the  party,  they  are  so  firmly  united, 
and  daily  acquire  such  strength,  that  they  are  becoming  more  and  more  for- 
midable in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom.  In  the  mean  time,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  there  are  among  them  neither  Anabaptists  nor  libertines,  nor  any  par- 
tisans of  odious  opinions.  All  admit  the  twelve  articles  of  the  Creed  as  they 
have  been  explained  by  Pius  III.  and  the  oecumenical  councils.  Thus  many 
of  the  most  zealous  Catholics  believe  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  curtail  the 
communion  of  the  Church,  although  they  tiiink  differently  on  other  points, 
wherein  they  consider  change  may  be  tolerated,  and  which  might  be  a  stej) 
toward  the  reunion  of  the  Greek  with  the  Latin  Church.  Many  persons  of 
great  piety  indulge  tlie  hope  that  if  they  can  terminate  in  some  such  manner 
the  differences  of  religion,  God,  who  always  helps  his  people,  will  dissipate 
the  darkness,  and  make  his  light  and  truth  to  shine  in  the  eyes  of  all  men." 
The  queen-mother  farther  proceeded  to  specify  the  abuses  which  had  crept 
into  jjublic  worship  in  the  Church,  and  requested  the  Pope  to  banish  the  use 
of  the  Latin  tongue.  "If  the  people  do  not  understand  what  is  said,"  she 
observed,  with  much  reason,  "how  can  they  intelligently  respond  with  the 
'Amen'  or  ' Ainsi  soit-il  ?'  "  The  Pope  concealed  his  indignation  on  receipt 
of  this  letter,  but  dispatched  as  his  legate  to  Paris  the  Cardinal  de  Ferrara, 
of  infamous  origin,  grandson  of  Roderic  Borgia,  and  son  of  Roderic's  daugh- 
ter Lucretia.  The  ])n]inl  legate  had  usually  been  welcomed  at  Paris  by  the 
ringing  of  all  the  church-bells,  but  on  this  occasion  it  was  matter  of  general 
remark  that  the  hells  were  mute. 


54  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

the  followers  of  the  new  faith.  The  Papists  denounced  the 
heretics,  and  called  upon  the  govcnnnent  to  extirpate  them  ; 
the  Huguenots,  on  their  part,  denounced  the  corruptions  of 
the  Church,  and  demanded  their  reform.  There  Avas  no 
dominant  or  controlling  power  in  the  state,  which  drifted 
steadily  in  the  direction  of  civil  war.  Both  parties  began 
to  arm ;  and  in  such  a  state  of  things  a  sj^ark  may  kindle  a 
conflagration.  The  queen  -  mother,  though  inclining  to  the 
side  of  the  Reformed,  did  not  yet  dare  to  take  a  side ;  but 
she  sounded  Coligny  as  to  the  number  of  followers  that  he 
could,  in  event  of  need,  place  at  the  service  of  the  king.  His 
answer  was, "  We  have  two  thousand  and  fifty  churches,  and 
four  hundred  thousand  men  able  to  bear  arms,  without  tak- 
ing into  account  our  secret  adherents.*  Such  was  the  criti- 
cal state  of  affairs  when  matters  were  precipitated  to  an  is- 
sue by  the  action  of  the  Duke  of  Guise,  the  leader  of  the 
Catholic  party. 

On  Christmas  day,  1562,  the  Protestants  of  Yassy,  in 
Chamjiagne,  met  to  the  number  of  about  three  thousand,  to 
listen  to  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  and  to  celebrate  the 
sacrament  according  to  the  practice  of  their  Church.  Yassy 
was  one  of  the  possessions  of  the  Guises,  the  mother  of  Avhom, 
Antoinette  de  Bourbon,  an  ardent  Roman  Catholic,  could  not 
brook  the  idea  of  the  vassals  of  the  family  daring  to  profess 
a  faith  different  from  that  of  their  feudal  superior.  Com- 
plauit  had  been  made  to  her  grace,  by  the  Bishop  of  Chalons, 
of  the  offense  done  to  religion  by  the  proceedings  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Yassy,  and  she  threatened  them,  if  they  persisted  in 
their  proceedings,  witli  the  vengeance  of  her  son,  the  Duke 
of  Guise, 

Undismayed  by  this  threat,  the  Protestants  of  Yassy  con- 
tinued to  meet  publicly  and  listen  to  their  preachers,  be- 
lievhig  themselves  to  be  under  the  protection  of  the  law,  ac- 
cording to  the  terms  of  the  royal  edict.  On  the  1st  of 
March,  1563,  they  held  one  of  their  meetings,  at  which  about 
*  Memoires  de  Condi!,  ii.,  587. 


MASSACRE  OF  VASSY. 


twelve  hundred  persons  were  present  in  a  large  barn  which 
served  for  a  church.  The  day  before,  the  Duke  of  Guise,  ac- 
companied by  the  duchess  his  wife,  the  Cardinal  of  Guise, 
and  about  two  hundred  men  armed  with  arquebuses  and 
poniards,  set  out  for  Vassy.  They  rested  during  the  night 
at  Dampmarten,  and  next  morning  marched  direct  upon  the 
congregation  assembled  in  the  barn.  The  minister.  Morel, 
had  only  begun  his  opening  prayer,  when  two  shots  were 
fired  at  the  persons  on  the  platform.  The  congregation  tried 
in  vain  to  shut  the  doors ;  the  followers  of  the  Duke  of  Guise 
burst  in,  and  pi-eciiaitated  themselves  on  the  unarmed  men, 
women,  and  children.  For  an  hour  they  fired,  hacked,  and 
stabbed  among  them,  the  duke  coolly  watching  the  carnage. 
Sixty  persons  of  both  sexes  were  left  dead  on  the  spot,  more 
than  two  hundred  were  severely  wounded,  and  the  rest  con- 
trived to  escape.  After  the  massacre  the  duke  sent  for  the 
local  judge,  and  severely  reprimanded  him  for  having  per- 
mitted the  Huguenots  of  Vassy  thus  to  meet.  The  judge 
intrenched  himself  behind  the  edict  of  the  king.  The  duke's 
eyes  flashed  with  rage,  and,  striking  the  hilt  of  his  sword 
with  his  hand,  he  said, "  The  sharp  edge  of  this  will  soon  cut 
your  edict  to  pieces."* 

The  massacre  of  Vassy  was  the  match  aj^plied  to  the 
charge  which  was  now  ready  to  explode.  It  was  the  signal 
to  Catholic  France  to  rise  in  mass  against  the  Huguenots. 
The  clergy  glorified  the  deed  from  the  pulpit,  and  compared 
the  duke  to  Moses,  in  ordering  the  extermination  of  all  who 
had  bowed  the  knee  to  the  golden  calf  A  fortnight  later 
the  duke  entered  Paris  in  triumph,  followed  by  about  twelve 
hundred  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  mounted  on  horses  richly 
caparisoned.  The  provost  of  merchants  went  out  to  meet 
and  welcome  him  at  the  Porte  Saint-Denis,  and  the  people 
received  him  with  immense  acclamations  as  the  defender  of 
the  faith  and  the  savior  of  the  country. 

Theodore  de  Beza,  overwhelmed  with  grief,  waited  on  his 
*  Davila — Histoire  ties  Guerres  Ciri/ts  de  France,  liv.  ii.,  p.  379. 


56  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

majesty  to  complain  of  the  gross  violation  of  the  terms  of 
the  royal  edict  of  which  the  Guise  party  had  been  guilty. 
But  the  king  and  the  qiieen-mother  were  powerless  amid  the 
whirlwind  of  excitement  which  prevailed  throughout  Paris. 
They  felt  that  their  own  lives  were  not  safe,  and  they  at 
once  secretly  departed  for  Fontainebleau.  The  Duke  of 
Guise  folloAved  them,  accompanied  by  a  strong  escort.  Ar- 
rived there,  and  admitted  to  an  interview,  the  duke  repre- 
sented to  Catharine  that,  in  order  to  prevent  the  Huguenots 
obtaining  possession  of  the  king's  person,  it  was  necessary 
that  he  should  accompany  them  to  Melun,  but  the  queen- 
mother  might  remain  if  she  chose.  She  determined  to  ac- 
company her  son.  After  a  brief  stay  at  Vincennes,  the  court 
was  again  installed  in  the  Louvre  on  the  6th  of  April.  The 
queen-mother  Avas  vanquished. 

The  court  waverers  and  the  waiters  on  fortime  at  once  ar- 
rayed themselves  on  the  side  of  the  strong.  The  old  Con- 
stable de  Montmorency,  who  had  been  halting  between  the 
two  opinions,  signalized  his  readlicrence  to  the  Church  of 
Rome  by  a  characteristic  act.  Placing  himself  at  the  liead 
of  the  mob,  Avliose  idol  he  was  ambitious  to  be,  he  led  them 
to  the  storming  of  the  Protestant  church  outside  tlie  Porte 
Saint-Jacques,  called  the  "  Temple  of  Jerusalem."  Burst- 
ing in  the  doors  of  the  empty  place,  they  tore  up  the  scats, 
and,  placing  them  and  the  Bibles  in  a  jnle  upon  the  floor, 
they  set  the  whole  on  fire,  amid  great  acclamations.  After 
this  exploit  the  Constable  made  a  sort  of  triumphal  entry 
into  Paris,  as  if  he  had  won  some  great  battle.  Not  con- 
tent, he  set  out  on  the  same  day  to  gather  more  laurels  at 
the  village  of  Popincourt,  where  he  had  the  Protestant 
church  there  set  on  fire ;  but  the  conflagration  extendhig  to 
the  adjoining  houses,  many  of  them  Avere  also  burnt  down. 
For  these  two  great  exploits,  however,  tlie  Constable,  if  Ave  ex- 
cept the  acclamations  of  the  mob,  received  no  other  acknoAvl- 
edgment  than  the  nickname  of"  Captain  Bunibenches  !"* 
*  M(fmoires  de  ConiU,  iii.,  p.  187.  * 


THE  ICONOCLASTS  BROKE  LOOSE.  57 

More  appalling,  however,  than  the  burning  of  churches, 
were  the  massacres  which  followed  that  of  Vassy  all  over 
France — at  Paris,  at  Seulis,  at  Amiens,  at  Meaux,  at  Chalons, 
at  Troyes,  at  Bar-sur-Seine,  at  Epernay,  at  Nevers,  at  Mans, 
at  Angers,  at  Blois,  and  many  other  places.  At  Tours  the 
number  of  the  slain  was  so  great  that  the  banks  of  the  Loire 
were  almost  covered  with  the  corpses  of  men,  Avomen,  and 
children.  The  persecution  especially  raged  in  Provence, 
where  the  Protestants  were  put  to  death  after  being  sub- 
jected to  a  great  variety  of  tortures.*  Any  detail  of  these 
events  Avould  present  only  a  hideous  monotony  of  massacre. 
We  therefore  pass  them  by. 

The  Huguenots,  taken  unawares,  were  at  first  unable  to 
make  head  against  their  enemies.  But  the  Prince  of  Conde 
took  the  field,  and  numbers  at  once  rallied  to  his  standard. 
Admiral  Coligny  at  first  refused  to  join  them,  but,  yielding 
to  the  entreaties  of  his  wife,  he  at  length  placed  himself  by 
the  side  of  Conde.  A  period  of  fierce  civil  war  ensued,  in 
which  the  worst  passions  were  evoked  on  both  sides,  and 
frightful  cruelties  were  perpetrated,  to  the  shame  of  religion, 
in  whose  name  these  things  were  done.  The  Huguenots  re- 
venged themselves  on  the  assassins  of  their  co-religionists 
by  defacing  and  destroying  the  churches  and  monasteries. 
In  their  iconoclastic  rage  they  hewed  and  broke  the  images, 
the  carvings,  and  the  richly-decorated  work  of  the  cathe- 
drals at  Bourges,  at  Lyons,  at  Orleans,  at  Rouen,  at  Caen,  at 
Tours,  and  many  other  places.  They  tore  down  the  cruci- 
fixes, and  dragged  them  through  the  mud  of  the  streets. 
They  violated  the  tombs  alike  of  saints  and  sovereigns,  and 
j^rofaned  the  shrines  which  were  the  most  sacred  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Roman  Catholics.  "  It  was,"  says  Henri  Martin,  "  as 
if  a  blast  of  the  infernal  trumpet  had  every  where  awakened 

*  PuAux,  ii.,  p.  152.  This  writer  says  that  although  the  massacre  of 
Saint  Bartholomew  is  usually  cited  as  the  culminating  horror  of  the  time, 
the  real  Saint  Bartholomew  was  not  that  of  1572,  but  of  ]5r)2 — whicii  ^ear 
contains  by  far  the  most  dolorous  chajjtcr  in  the  history  of  French  Trotcst- 
antism. 


PEllSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 


the  spirit  of  destruction,  and  the  delirious  fury  grew  and  be- 
came drunk  with  its  own  excess."  All  this  rage,  however, 
was  but  the  inevitable  reaction  against  the  hideous  cruelties 
of  which  the  Huguenots  had  so  long  been  merely  the  passive 
victims.  They  decapitated  beautiful  statues  of  stone,  it  is 
true,  but  the  Guises  had  decapitated  the  living  men. 

It  is  not  necessary,  in  our  rapid  sketch,  to  follow  the  course 
of  the  civil  war.  The  Huguenots  were  every  where  outnum- 
bered. They  fought  bravely,  but  they  fought  as  rebels,  the 
king  and  the  queen-mother  being  now  at  the  head  of  the 
Guise  party.  In  nearly  all  the  great  battles  fought  by  them, 
they  were  defeated — at  Dreux,*  at  St.  Denis,  at  Jarnac,  and 
at  jMontcontour.  But  they  always  rallied  again,  sometimes 
in  o-reater  numbers  than  before ;  and  at  length  Coligny  was 
enabled  to  collect  such  re-enforcements  as  seriously  to  threat- 
en Paris.  France  had  now  been  devastated  throughout  by 
the  contending  armies,  and  many  of  the  provinces  were  re- 
duced almost  to  a  state  of  desert.  The  combatants  on  both 
sides  were  exhausted,  though  their  rancor  remained  unabat- 
ed. Peace,  however,  had  at  last  become  a  necessity ;  and  a 
treaty  Avas  signed  at  St.  Germain's  in  1570,  by  Avhich  the 
Protestants  were  guaranteed  liberty  of  worshij),  equality  be- 
fore the  law,  and  admission  to  the  universities,  while  the  four 
princii^al  towns  of  Rochelle,  Montauban,  Cognac,  and  La  Cha- 
rite  were  committed  to  them  as  a  pledge  of  safety.  Under 
the  terms  of  tliis  treaty  P^rance  enjoyed  a  state  of  quiet  for 
aVxmt  two  years,  but  it  was  only  the  quiet  that  preceded  the 
outbreak  of  another  storm. 

At  the  famous  Council  of  Trent,  Avhich  met  in  1545,  and 

*  Tliis  was  nearly  a  drawn  battle  ;  and  tlint  it  was  decided  in  fovor  of  the 
Giii>c  ])arty  was  alnuist  entirely  due  to  tii  ■  ,'  wi>s  infantiy,  who  alone  resisted 
the  sliock  of  (Sonde's  cavalry.  When  Conde  and  (\)li<;:ny  witlidrcw  their 
forces  in  good  order,  8000  men  lay  dead  on  the  field.  iMontlue,  one  of  the 
Guise  frenerals,  says,  in  liis  Connnentaries,  "If  tliis  battle  had  been  lost, 
what  would  have  become  of  P^rance?  Its  government  would  have  been 
changed  as  well  as  its  religion,  for  with  a  young  king  parties  can  do  what 
they  will."  When  the  news  of  the  victory  reached  the  Council  of  Trent,  then 
sitting,  it  occasioned  the  prelates  as  much  joy  as  when  they  had  heard  of  the 
death  of  Luther. 


MEETING  OF  CATHARINE  AND  ALVA.  59 

continiied  its  sittings  for  sixteen  years,  during  which  the 
events  thus  rcipidly  described  were  in  jDrogress,  the  Laws  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  were  carefully  codified,  and 
measures  were  devised  for  the  more  efiectual  suppression  of 
heresy  wherever  it  showed  itself  Shortly  after  the  close  of 
the  council  sittings,  an  interview  took  place  at  Bidassoa,  on 
the  frontier  of  Spain,  between  Catharine  de  Medicis,  the 
queen-mother,  and  the  Duke  of  Alva,  the  powerful  minister 
of  Philip  II.  of  Spain,  of  sinister  augury  for  the  Protestants. 
When  Philip  succeeded  to  the  throne  of  his  father,  Charles 
v.,  he  inherited  from  him  two  passions — hatred  of  the  Re- 
f)rmed  Church,  and  jealousy  of  France.  To  destroy  the  one 
v..  A  humiliate  the  other  constituted  the  ambition  of  his  life; 
and  to  accomplish  both  objects,  he  spared  neither  the  gold 
of  the  New  World  nor  the  blood  of  his  subjects.  His  first 
desire,  however,  was  to  crush  Protestantism ;  and  it  was  to 
devise  measures  with  that  object  that  the  meeting  between 
his  favorite  minister  and  Catharine  de  Medicis  took  place  at 
Bidassoa. 

The  queen-mother  had  by  this  time  gone  entirely  round  to 
the  Guise  party,  and  she  had  carried  Charles  IX.,  her  son, 
Avith  her.  She  had  become  equally  desirous  Avith  the  Duke 
of  Alva  to  destroy  heresy ;  but  while  the  Duke  urged  ex- 
termination of  the  Huguenots,*  in  accomplishing  which  he 
promised  the  help  of  a  Spanish  army,  Catharine,  on  the  con- 
trary, Avas  in  favor  of  temporizing  wdth  them.  It  might  be 
easy  for  Philip  to  extirpate  heresy  by  force  in  Spain  or  Italy, 
where  the  Protestants  Avere  feAV  in  number;  but  the  case  was 
diflerent  in  France,  where  the  Huguenots  had  shown  them- 
selves able  to  bring  large  armies  into  the  field,  led  by  A^et- 
eraii  generals,  and  actually  held  in  possession  many  of  the 
strongest  places  in  France.  She  assured  the  duke,  ne\'erthe- 
less,  of  her  ardent  desire  to  effect  the  ruin  of  the  Reformed 

*  The  saying  of  the  Duke  of  Alva  is  said  to  have  alarmed  the  queen- 
mother.  "Better,"  he  said,  "  a  head  of  salmon  than  ten  thousand  heads  of 
frogs." 


60  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

party,  her  only  difficulty  consisting  in  the  means  by  which  it 
was  to  be  accomplished.* 

Shortly  before  this  time  there  had  risen  up  in  the  bosom 
of  the  old  Church  a  man  in  all  respects  as  remarkable  as  Lu- 
ther, who  exercised  as  extraordinary  an  influence,  though  in 
precisely  the  opposite  direction,  on  the  religious  history  of 
Europe.  This  was  Ignatius  Loyola,  the  founder  of  the  Jesu- 
its, who  infused  into  his  followers  a  degree  of  zeal,  energy, 
devotion,  and,  it  must  be  added,  unscrupulousness — stopping 
not  to  consider  the  means,  provided  the  ends  could  be  com- 
passed— which  told  most  powerfully  in  the  struggle  of  Prot- 
estantism for  life  or  death  throughout  Northern  Europe. 

Loyola  was  born  in  1491  ;  he  was  wounded  at  the  siege  of 
Pampeluna  in  1520;  after  a  period  of  meditation  and  morti- 
fication, he  devoted  himself,  in  1522,  to  the  service  of  the 
Church;  and  in  1540,  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits  was  recog- 
nized at  Rome  and  established  by  papal  bull.  The  society 
early  took  root  in  France,  where  it  was  introduced  by  the 
Cardinal  de  Lorraine;  and  it  shortly  acquired  almost  su- 
jjreme  influence  in  the  state.  Under  the  Jesuits,  the  Romish 
Church,  reorganized  and  redisciplined,  became  one  of  the 
most  complete  of  spiritual  machines.  They  enjoined  implicit 
submission  and  obedience.  Against  liberty  they  set  up  au- 
thority. To  them  the  individual  was  nothing,  the  Order  ev- 
ery thing.  They  were  vigilant  sentinels,  watching  night  and 
day  over  the  interests  of  Rome.  One  of  the  first  works  to 
which  they  applied  themselves  was  the  extirpation  of  the 
heretics  who  had  strayed  from  her  fold.  The  principal  in- 
strument which  they  employed  with  this  object  was  the  In- 
quisition ;  and  wherever  they  succeeded  in  establishing  them- 
selves, that  institution  "svas  set  up,  or  was  armed  with  fresh 
powers.  They  tolerated  no  half  measures.  They  were  un- 
sparing and  unpitying ;  and  wherever  a  heretic  was  brought 
before  them,  and  they  had  the  power  to  deal  Avith  him,  he 
must  recant  or  die. 

*  PcAux,  ii.,  p.  228. 


PHILIP  II.  OF  SPAIN.  61 


The  first  great  field  in  which  the  Jesuits  put  forth  their 
new-born  strength  was  Flanders,  which  then  formed  part  of 
the  possessions  of  Spain.  The  provinces  of  the  Netherlands 
had  reached  the  summit  of  commercial  and  manufacturing 
prosperity.  They  were  inhabited  by  a  hard-working,  intel- 
ligent, and  enterprising  people — great  as  artists  and  mer- 
chants, painters  and  printers,  architects  and  iron-workers — as 
the  decayed  glories  of  Antwerp,  Bruges,  and  Ghent  testify 
to  this  day.  Although  the  two  latter  cities  never  complete- 
ly recovered  from  the  injuries  inflicted  on  them  by  the  tyr- 
anny of  the  trades-unions,  there  were  numerous  other  towns, 
where  industry  had  been  left  comparatively  free,  in  which 
the  arts  of  peace  were  cultivated  in  security.  Under  the 
mild  sway  of  the  Burgundian  dukes,  Antwerp  became  the 
centre  of  the  commerce  of  Northern  Europe ;  and  more  busi- 
ness is  said  to  have  been  done  there  in  a  month  than  at  Ven- 
ice in  two  years  Avhen  at  the  summit  of  its  grandeur.  About 
the  year  1550,  it  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  as  many  as 
2500  ships  in  the  Scheldt,  laden  with  merchandise  for  all 
jjarts  of  the  Avorld. 

Such  was  the  prosperity  of  Flanders,  and  such  the  great- 
ness of  Antwerj),  when  Philip  II.  of  Spain  succeeded  to  the 
rich  inheritance  of  Burgundy  on  the  resignation  of  Charles 
V.  in  the  year  1556.  Had  his  subjects  been  of  the  same  mind 
with  himself  in  religious  matters,  Philip  might  have  escaped 
the  infamy  which  attaches  to  his  name.  But  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  most  skilled  and  industrious  people  in  the  Neth- 
erlands had  imbibed  the  new  ideas  as  to  a  reform  in  religion 
which  had  swept  over  Northern  Europe.  They  had  read  the 
newly-translated  Bible  with  avidity ;  they  had  formed  them- 
selves into  religious  communities,  and  appointed  jjreachers 
of  their  own;  in  a  word,  they  were  Protestants. 

Philip  had  scarcely  succeeded  to  the  Spanish  throne  than 
he  ordered  a  branch  of  the  Inquisition  to  be  set  up  in  Flan- 
ders, with  the  Cardinal  Grenvelle  as  Inquisitor  General.  The 
institution  excited  great  opposition  among  all  classes,  Catlio- 


G2  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

lie  as  well  as  Protestant ;  and  it  Avas  shortly  followed  by- 
hostility  and  resistance,  which  eventually  culminated  in  civil 
war.  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  writing  to  Cecil  from  Antwerp 
in  1566,  said,  "There  are  above  40,000  Protestants  in  this 
toune,  w^hich  will  die  rather  than  the  Word  of  God  should 
be  put  to  silence," 

The  struggle  which  now  began  Avas  alike  fierce  and  de- 
termined on  both  sides,  and  extended  over  many  years.  Tlie 
powerful  armies  which  the  king  directed  against  his  revolted 
subjects  Avere  led  by  able  generals,  by  the  Duke  of  Alva,  by 
Alexander  Farnese,  prince  of  Parma,  and  many  more  ;  and 
although  they  did  not  succeed  in  establishing  the  Inquisition 
in  the  Netherlands,  they  succeeded  in  either  exterminating 
or  banishing  the  greater  part  of  the  Protestants  south  of  the 
Scheldt,  at  the  same  time  that  they  ruined  the  industry  of 
Flanders,  destroyed  its  trade,  and  reduced  the  Catholics 
themselves  to  beggary.  Bruges  and  Ghent  became  crowded 
with  thieves  and  paupers.  The  busy  quays  of  Antwerp  Avere 
deserted,  and  its  industrious  artisans,  tradesmen,  and  mer- 
chants fled  from  the  place,  leaving  iheir  property  behind 
them  a  prey  to  the  sjDoiler.* 

The  Duchess  of  Parma,  Avriting  to  Philip  in  1567,  said  that 
"  in  a  fcAV  days  100,000  men  had  already  left  the  country  with 
their  money  and  goods,  and  that  more  Avere  folloAving  every 
day."  Clough,  Avriting  to  Gresham  from  xVntAverp  in  the 
same  year,  said, "  It  is  marveylus  to  see  how  the  pepell  packe 
aAvay  from  hense;  some  for  one  place,  and  some  for  another; 
as  well  the  papysts  as  the  Protestants ;  for  it  is  thought  that 
howsomever  it  goeth,  it  can  not  go  well  here ;  for  that  pres- 
ently all  the  Avelthy  and  rich  men  of  both  sydes,  who  should 
be  the  stay  of  matters,  make  themselves  aAvay."f 

The  Duke  of  Alva  carried  on  this  frightful  Avar  of  exterm- 
ination and  persecution  for  six  years,  during  which  he  boast- 

*  It  is  said  that  for  some  years  the  jilnndcr  of  tlie  murdered  and  prosci'ibed 
Protestants  of  the  Low  Countries  brought  into  the  royal  treasury  of  rhilip 
twenty  millions  of  dollars  annually. 

+  Flanders  Correspondence. — State-Paper  Office. 


EMIGRA  TION  FR  OM  FLA  NDERS.  G3 

ed  that  he  liad  sent  18,000  persons  to  the  scaftbld,  besides  the 
immense  numbers  destroyed  in  battles  and  sieges,  and  in  the 
unrecorded  acts  of  cruelty  perpetrated,  ou  the  peasantry  by 
the  Spanish  soldiery.  Philip  heard  of  the  depopulation  and 
ruin  of  his  provinces  without  regret ;  and  though  Alva  was 
recalled,  the  war  was  carried  on  with  increased  fury  by  the 
generals  who  succeeded  him.  What  mainly  comforted  Philip 
was,  that  the  people  who  remained  were  at  length  becoming 
terrified  into  orthodoxy.  The  ecclesiastics  assured  the  Duke 
of  Parma,  the  governor,  that,  notwithstanding  the  depopula- 
tion of  the  provinces,  more  people  were  coming  to  them  for 
confession  and  absolution  at  the  last  Easter  than  had  ever 
come  since  the  beginning  of  the  revolt.  Parma  immediately 
communicated  the  consoling  intelligence  to  Philip,  who  re- 
plied, "  You  can  not  imagine  my  satisfaction  at  the  news  yoii 
srive  me  concerning  last  Easter."* 

The  flight  of  the  Protestants  from  tjie  Low  Coimtries  con- 
tinued for  many  years.  All  who  were  strong  enough  to  fly, 
fled  ;  only  the  weak,  the  helpless,  and  the  hopeless,  remained. 
The  fugitives  turned  their  backs  on  Flanders,  and  their  faces 
toward  Holland,  Germany,  and  England,  and  fled  thither  with 
their  wives  and  children,  and  what  goods  they  could  carry 
with  them,  to  seek  new  homes.  Several  hundred  thousands 
of  her  best  artisans — clothiers,  dyers,  weavers,  tanners,  cut- 
lers, and  iron- workers  of  all  kinds  —  left  Flanders,  carrying 
with  them  into  the  countries  of  their  adoption  their  skill, 
their  intelligence,  and  their  spirit  of  liberty.  The  greater 
number  of  them  went  directly  into  Holland,  then  gallantly 
struggling  with  Spain  for  its  independent  existence.  There 
they  founded  new  branches  of  industry,  which  eventually 
proved  a  source  of  wealth  and  strength  to  the  United  Prov- 
inces. Many  others  passed  over  into  England,  hailing  it  as 
"Asylum  Christi,"  and  formed  the  settlements  of  which  some 
account  will  be  given  in  succeeding  chapters. 

*  Motley — History  of  the  United  Netlicrkinds  (i.,  400),  where  the  story  of 
Philip's  war  against  his  subjects  in  the  Low  Countries  will  be  found  related 
with  remarkable  power. 


64  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

Having  thus  led  the  reader  up  to  the  period  at  which  the 
exodus  of  Protestants  from  the  Low  Countries  took  place,  we 
return  to  France,  -svhere  Catharine  de  Medicis  was  stealthily 
maturing-  her  plans  for  stamping  out  heresy  in  the  dominions 
of  her  son.  The  treaty  of  1570  was  still  observed  ;  the  Prot- 
estants were  allowed  to  Avorship  God  after  their  own  forms, 
and  France  was  slowly  recovering  from  the  wounds  Avhich 
she  had  received  during  the  recent  civil  Avar.  At  this  time 
Catharine  de  Medicis  artfully  contrived  a  marriage  betAveen 
her  daughter  Margaret  and  Henry  of  Beam,  king  of  Navarre, 
chief  of  all  the  Huguenots.  Henry's  mother,  Jeanne  D'Al- 
bret,  and  the  Admiral  Coligny,  concurred  in  the  union,  in  the 
hope  that  it  Avould  put  an  end  to  the  feuds  Avhich  existed  be- 
tAveen  the  rival  religious  parties.  Pope  Pius  V.,  hoAvever,  re- 
fused to  grant  the  necessary  disj^ensation  to  enable  the  mar- 
riage to  be  celebrated  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church ;  but  the  queen-mother  got  over  this  little 
difficulty  by  causing  a  disi^ensation  to  be  forged  in  the  Pope's 
name.* 

As  Catharine  de  Medicis  had  anticipated,  the  heads  of  the 
Reformed  party,  regarding  the  marriage  as  an  important 
stej)  tOAvard  national  reconciliation,  resorted  to  Paris  in  large 
numbers  to  celebrate  the  event  and  grace  the  royal  nuptials. 
Among  those  present  Avere  Admiral  Coligny  and  his  family. 
Some  of  the  Huguenot  chiefs  were  not  Avithout  apprehensions 
for  their  personal  safety,  and  even  urged  the  admiral  to  quit 
Paris.  But  he  believed  in  the  pretended  friendship  of  the 
queen-mother  and  her  son,  and  insisted  on  staying  until  the 
ceremony  was  OA^er.  The  marriage  was  celebrated  Avith 
great  splendor  in  the  cathedral  church  of  Notre  Dame  on  the 
18th  of  August,  1572,  the  principal  members  of  the  nobility, 
Protestant  as  well  as  Roman  Catholic,  being  present  on  the 
occasion.  It  was  folloAved  by  a  succession  of  feasts  and  gay- 
eties,  in  Avhich  the  leaders  of  both  parties  alike  participated, 

*  Vaua'Illiers — Histoire  de  Jeanne  d'Albret. 


MA SSA  CRE  OF  ST.  BAR THOL OME  W\  C5 

and  the  fears  of  the  Huguenots  were  thus  completely  dis- 
armed. 

On  the  day  after  the  marriage  a  secret  council  was  held, 
at  which  it  was  determined  to  proclaim  a  general  massacre 
of  the  Huguenots.  The  king  was  now  willing  to  give  50,000 
crowns  for  the  head  of  Coligny.  To  earn  the  reward,  one 
JVIaurevert  lay  in  wait  for  the  admiral,  on  the  22d  of  August, 
in  a  house  situated  near  the  church  of  Saint  Germam  I'Aux- 
errois,  between  the  Louvre  and  the  Rue  Bethisy.  As  the 
admiral  passed,  Maurevert  fired  and  wounded  him  in  the 
hand.  Coligny  succeeded  in  reaching  his  hotel,  where  he 
was  attended  by  Ambrose  Pare,  who  performed  upon  him  a 
painful  operation.  The  king  visited  the  wounded  man  at 
his  hotel,  professed  the  greatest  horror  at  the  dastardly  act 
which  had  been  attempted,  and  vowed  vengeance  against 
the  assassin. 

Meanwhile,  the  day  fixed  by  the  queen-mother  for  the  gen- 
eral massacre  of  the  Huguenots  drew  near.  Between  two 
and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  August,  1572, 
as  the  king  sat  in  his  chamber  with  his  mother  and  the  Duke 
of  Anjou,  the  great  bell  of  the  church  of  St.  Auxerrois  rang  to 
early  prayer.  It  was  the  arranged  signal  for  the  massacre  to 
begin !  Almost  immediately  after,  the  first  pistol-shot  was 
heard.  Three  hundred  of  the  royal  guard,  who  had  been 
held  in  readiness  during  the  night,  rushed  out  into  the 
streets,  shouting  "  For  God  and  the  king."  To  distinguish 
themselves  in  the  darkness,  they  wore  a  white  sash  on  their 
left  arm,  and  a  white  cross  in  their  hats. 

Before  leaving  the  palace,  a  party  of  the  guard  murdered 

the  retinue  of  the  yoimgKing  of  Navarre,  then  the  guests  of 

Charles  IX.  in  the  Louvre.     They  had  come  in  the  train  of 

their  chief,  to  be  present  at  the  celebration  of  his  marriage 

with  the  sister  of  the  King  of  France.     One  by  one  they  were 

called  from  their  rooms,  marched  down  unarmed  into  the 

quadrangle,  where  they  were  hewed  down  before  the  very 

eyes   of  their  royal  host.     A  more   perfidious  butchery  is 

probablv  not  to  be  found  recorded  in  history. 

E 


66  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

At  the  same  time,  mischief  was  afoot  throughout  Paris. 
Le  Charron,  provost  of  the  merchants,  and  Marcel,  his  an- 
cient colleague,  had  mustered  a  large  number  of  despera- 
does, to  whom  respective  quarters  had  been  previously  as- 
signed, and  they  now  hastened  to  enter  upon  their  fiiglitful 
morning's  work.  The  Duke  of  Guise  determined  to  antici- 
pate all  others  in  the  murder  of  Coligny.  Hastening  to  his 
hotel,  the  duke's  party  burst  in  the  outer  door,  and  the  ad- 
miral was  roused  from  his  slumber  by  the  shots  fired  at  his 
followers  in  the  court-yard  below.  He  rose  from  his  couch, 
and  though  scarce  able  to  stand,  lied  to  an  upper  chamber. 
There  he  was  tracked  by  his  assassins,  who  stabbed  him  to 
death  as  he  stood  leaning  against  the  wall.  His  body  was 
then  thrown  out  of  the  window  into  the  court-yard.  The 
Duke  of  Guise,  who  had  been  waiting  impatiently  below, 
hurried  up  to  the  corpse,  and  wiping  the  blood  from  the  ad- 
miral's face,  said,  "  I  know  him — it  is  he  ;"  then,  spurning  the 
body  with  his  foot,  he  called  out  to  his  followers, "  Courage, 
comrades,  we  have  begun  well ;  now  for  the  rest ;  the  king 
commands  it."  They  then  rushed  out  again  into  the  street- 
Firing  was  now  heard  in  every  quarter  throughout  Paris. 
The  houses  of  the  Huguenots,  which  had  long  been  marked, 
were  broken  into,  and  men,  women,  and  children  were  sabred 
or  shot  down.  It  was  of  no  use  trying  to  fly.  The  fugitives 
were  slaughtered  in  the  streets.  Tlie  king  himself  seized  his 
arquebus,  and  securely  tired  upon  his  subjects  from  the  win- 
dows of  the  Louvre.  For  three  days  the  massacre  contin' 
ued.  Corpses  blocked  the  doorways  ;  mutilated  bodies  lay 
in  every  lane  and  passage ;  and  thousands  were  cast  mto  the 
Seine,  then  swollen  by  a  flood.  At  length,  on  the  fourth  day, 
when  the  fury  of  the  assassins  had  become  satiated,  and  the 
Huguenots  were  for  the  most  part  slain,  a  dead  silence  fell 
upon  the  streets  of  Paris. 

Tliese  dreadful  events  at  the  capital  were  almost  imme- 
diately followed  by  similar  deeds  all  over  France.  From  fif- 
teen to  eighteen  hundred  persons  were  killed  at  Lyons,  and 


MASS  A  CUES  THE  0  UGHO  UT  FRA  NCE.  G  7 

the  dwellers  on  the  Rhone  beloAV  that  city  were  horrified 
by  the  sight  of  the  dead  bodies  floating  down  the  river. 
Six  hundred  were  killed  at  Rouen,  and  many  more  at 
Dieppe  and  Havre.  The  numbers  killed  during  the  massa- 
cre throughout  France  have  been  variously  estimated.  Sul- 
ly says  70,000  were  slain,  though  other  writers  estimate  the 
victims  at  100,000. 

Catharine  de  Medicis  wrote  in  triumph  to  Alva,  to  Philip 
IL,  and  to  tlie  Pope,  of  the  results  of  the  three  days'  dreadful 
work  in  Paris.  When  Philip  heard  of  the  massacre,  he  is 
said  to  have  laughed  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  his  life. 
Rome  was  thrown  into  a  delirium  of  joy  at  the  news.  The 
cannon  were  fired  at  St.  Angelo ;  Gregory  XIH.  and  his  car- 
dinals went  in  procession  from  sanctuary  to  sanctuary  to 
give  God  thanks  for  the  massacre.  The  subject  was  ordered 
to  be  painted,  and  a  medal  was  struck,  with  the  Pope's  image 
on  one  side,  and  the  destroying  angel  on  the  other  immolat- 
ing the  Huguenots.  Cardinal  Orsini  was  dispatched  on  a 
special  mission  to  Paris  to  congratulate  the  king ;  and  on 
his  passage  through  Lyons,  the  assassins  of  the  Huguenots 
there,  the  blood  on  their  hands  scarce  dry,  knelt  before  the 
holy  man  in  the  cathedral  and  received  his  blessing.  At 
Pai'is,  the  triumphant  clergy  celebrated  the  massacre  by  a 
public  procession ;  they  determined  to  consecrate  to  it  an 
annual  jubilee  on  the  day  of  St.  Bartholomew  ;  and  they  too 
had  a  medal  struck  in  commemoration  of  the  event,  bearing 
the  legend, "  Piety  has  aAvakened  justice  !" 

As  for  the  wretched  young  King  of  France,  the  terrible 
crime  to  which  he  had  been  a  party  weighed  upon  his  mind 
to  the  last  moment  of  his  life.  The  recollection  of  the  scenes 
of  the  massacre  constantly  haunted  him,  and  he  became  rest- 
less, haggard,  and  miserable.  He  saw  his  murdered  guests 
sitting  by  his  side  at  bed  and  at  board.     "  Ambrose,"*  said 

*  Ambrose  Pare  had  won  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  Charles  IX.  by- 
saving  him  from  the  effects  of  a  wound  inflicted  by  a  chimsy  surgeon  in  per- 
forming the  operation  of  venesection.  Fare,  though  a  Huguenot,  held  the 
important  oiBce  of  surgeon  in  ordinary  to  the  king,  and  was  constantly  about 


68  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

he  to  his  confidential  physician, "  I  know  not  what  has  hap- 
pened to  me  these  two  or  three  days  past,  but  I  feel  my 
mind  and  body  as  much  at  enmity  with  each  other  as  if  I 
was  seized  with  a  fever.  Sleeping  or  waking,  the  murdered 
Huguenots  seem  ever  present  to  my  eyes,  with  ghastly  faces, 
and  weltering  in  blood.  I  wish  the  innocent  and  helpless 
had  been  spared."  He  died  in  tortures  of  mind  impossible 
to  be  described — attended  in  his  last  moments,  strange  to 
say,  by  a  Huguenot  physician  and  a  Huguenot  nurse ;  one 
of  the  worst  horrors  that  haunted  him  being  that  his  own 
mother  was  causing  his  death  by  slow  poisoning,  an  art  in 
which  he  knew  that  great  bad  woman  to  be  fearfully  accom- 
plished. 

To  return  to  the  surviving  Huguenots,  and  the  measures 
adopted  by  them  for  self-preservation.  Though  they  Avere 
at  first  stunned  by  the  massacre,  they  were  not  sIoav  to  asso- 
ciate themselves  together,  in  those  districts  in  which  they 
were  sufliciently  strong,  for  purposes  of  self-defense.  Along 
the  western  sea-board,  at  points  where  they  felt  themselves 
unable  to  make  head  against  their  persecutors,  they  put  to 
sea  in  ships  and  boats,  and  made  for  England,  where  they 
landed  in  great  numbers — at  Rye,  at  Hastings,  at  Southamp- 
ton, and  the  numerous  other  ports  on  the  south  coast.     This 

his  person.  To  this  circumstance  he  owed  his  escape  from  the  massacre,  the 
kinj:;  concealing  him  during  the  night  in  a  private  room  adjoining  his  own 
chamher.  Fahssy,  of  whom  we  have  ah'eady  spoken,  most  probably  also 
owed  his  escape  to  the  circumstance  of  his  being  in  the  immediate  employ- 
ment of  Cathai-ine  de  Medicis.  But  even  employment  at  court  did  not  se- 
cure the  Huguenots  in  all  cases  against  assassination.  Thus  Jean  Goujon, 
the  sculptor,  sometimes  styled  "the  French  Phidias,"  was  shot  from  below 
while  employed  on  a  scaffold  in  executing  the  decorative  work  of  the  old 
Louvre.  Some  of  the  greatest  early  artists  of  France  were  Huguenots  like 
Goujon  ;  for  example,  Jean  Cousin,  founder  of  the  French  school  of  jiainting; 
Barthelemy  Prieur,  sculptor ;  and  Jean  Bullant,  Debrosses,  and  Du  Ccrceau, 
the  celebrated  architects.  Goudimcl  tiie  musical  composer,  and  Ramus  the 
jiliilosopher,  were  also  slain  in  the  massacre.  Before  this  time  liamus's  house 
had  been  jjillaged  and  his  library  destroyed.  Dumoulin,  the  great  juriscon- 
sult, had  jireviously  escaped  by  death.  "The  execrable  day  of  Saint  Bar- 
tholomew," said  the  Catholic  Chateaubriand,  "only  made  martyrs  ;  it  gave 
to  philosophical  ideas  au  advantage  over  religious  ideas  which  has  never 
since  been  lost." 


ACCESSION  OF  HENRY  IV.  (?) 

was  particularly  the  case  with  the  artisans  and  skilled  labor 
class,  Avhose  means  of  living  are  invariably  imperiled  by  a 
state  of  civil  war ;  and  they  fled  into  England  to  endeavor, 
if  possible,  to  pursue  their  respective  callings  in  peace,  while 
they  worshiped  God  according  to  their  conscience. 

But  the  Huguenot  nobles  and  gentry  would  not  and  could 
not  abandon  their  followers  to  destruction.  They  gathered 
together  in  their  strong  places,  and  prepared  to  defend  them- 
selves by  force  against  force.  In  the  Cevennes,  Dauphiny, 
and  other  quarters,  they  betook  themselves  to  the  mountains 
for  refuge.  In  the  plains  of  the  south,  fifty  towns  closed 
their  gates  against  the  royal  troops.  Wherever  resistance 
was  possible  it  showed  itself  The  little  town  of  Sancerre 
held  out  successfully  for  ten  months,  during  which  the  in- 
habitants, without  arms,  heroically  defended  themselves  with 
slings,  called  "the  arquebuses  of  Sancerre,"  enduring  mean- 
while the  most  horrible  privations,  and  reduced  to  eat  moles, 
snails,  bread  made  of  straw  mixed  with  scraps  of  horse-har- 
ness, and  even  the  parchment  of  old  title-deeds.  The  Roman 
Catholics,  imder  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  also  attacked  Rochelle, 
and  after  great  suffering  and  heroism  on  both  sides,  the  as- 
sailants w^ere  repulsed  and  compelled  to  retire  from  the  siege. 
Wliile  this  civil  war  was  in  progress,  the  king  died  and  was 
succeeded  by  Henry  HI.,  the  same  Duke  of  Anjou  who  had 
been  repulsed  from  Rochelle.  Henry  of  Navarre  and  the 
Prince  of  Conde  now  assumed  the  leadership  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, and  the  wars  of  the  League  began,  which  kept  France 
in  a  state  of  anarchy  for  many  years,  and  were  only  brought 
to  a  conclusion  by  the  succession  of  Henry  IV.  to  the  throne 
in  1594. 

So  powerful,  however,  was  the  Roman  Catholic  party  in 
France,  that  Henry  found  it  necessary  to  choose  between  his 
religion  and  his  crown.  In  that  age  of  assassination,  he  prob- 
ably felt  that  unless  he  reconciled  himself  to  the  old  Church, 
his  life  Avas  not  safe  for  a  day.  Henry's  religion  at  all  times 
clung  to  him  but  loosely ;  indeed,  he  was  not  a  religious  man 


70  PERSECUTIONS  OF  THE  REFORMED. 

in  any  sense ;  for,  though  magnannnous,  large-hearted,  and 
brave,  he  was  given  up,  like  most  kings  in  those  days,  to  the 
pleasures  of  the  senses.  He  had  become  a  Huguenot  through 
political  rather  than  religious  causes,  and  it  cost  him  little 
sacrifice  to  become  a  Catholic.  For  sake  of  peace,  therefore, 
as  well  as  for  the  sake  of  his  own  life,  Henry  conformed. 
But,  though  he  governed  France  ably  and  justly  for  a  period 
of  sixteen  years,  his  apostasy  did  not  protect  him ;  for,  after 
rej^eated  attempts  upon  his  life  by  emissaries  of  the  Jesuits, 
he  was  eventually  assassinated  by  Francis  Ravaillac,  a  lay- 
brother  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Bernard,  on  the  14th  of  May, 
1610. 

One  of  Henry's  justest  and  greatest  acts  was  the  promul- 
gation, in  1598,  of  the  celebrated  Edict  of  Nantes.  By  that 
edict,  the  Huguenots,  after  sixty  years  of  persecution,  were 
allowed  at  last  comparative  liberty  of  conscience  and  free- 
dom of  worship.  What  the  Roman  Catholics  thoiight  of  it 
may  be  inferred  from  the  protest  of  the  Pope,  Clement  VilL, 
who  wrote  to  say  that  "  a  decree  Avhich  gave  liberty  of  con- 
science to  all  was  the  most  accursed  that  had  ever  been 
made." 

Persons  of  the  Reformed  faith  were  now  admitted  to  pub- 
lic employment ;  their  children  were  afibrded  access  to  the 
schools  and  universities ;  they  were  provided  with  equal  rep- 
resentation in  some  of  the  provincial  Parliaments,  and  per- 
mitted to  hold  a  certain  number  of  places  of  surety  in  the 
kingdom.  And  thus  was  a  treaty  of  peace  at  length  estab- 
lished for  a  time  between  the  people  of  the  contending  faiths 
throughout  France. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

RELATIONS    OF    ENGLAND    WITH   FRANCE    AND   SPAIN. 

While  the  rulers  of  France  and  Spain  were  making  these 
desperate  efforts  to  crush  the  principles  of  the  Reformation 
in  their  dominions,  the  Protestants  of  England  regarded  their 
l)roceedings  with  no  small  degree  of  apprehension  and  alarm. 
Though  the  Reformed  faith  had  made  considerable  progress 
in  the  English  towns  at  the  period  of  Elizabeth's  accession 
to  the  throne  in  1558,  it  was  still  in  a  considerable  minority 
throughout  the  country.*  The  great  body  of  the  nobility, 
the  landed  gentry,  and  the  rural  population  adhered  to  the 
old  religion,  while  there  was  a  considerable  middle  class  of 
Gallios,  who  were  content  to  wait  the  issue  of  events  before 
declaring  themselves  on  either  side. 

During  the  reigns  which  had  preceded  that  of  Elizabeth, 
the  country  had  been  ill  governed  and  the  public  interests 
neglected.  The  nation  was  in  debt  and  unarmed,  with  war 
raging  abroad.  But  Elizabeth's  greatest  difficulty  consisted 
in  the  fact  of  her  being  a  Protestant,  and  the  successor  of  a 
Roman  Catholic  queen  who  had  reigned  with  undisputed 

*  Soames,  in  his  Elizuhethan  Religious  Hiatory,  says  th.it  at  the  accession 
of  Elizabeth  two  thirds  of  the  people  were  Catholics.  Butler,  in  his  Jifemoir.s 
of  the  Catholics,  holds  the  same  view.  On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Hallam,  in  his 
Constitutional  History,  estimates  that  in  1559  the  I'rotestants  were  two  thirds 
of  the  population.  Mr.  Buckle,  in  an  able  posthumous  paper  which  appeared 
in  Frasers  Magazine  (February,  1867),  inclines  to  tlie  view  that  the  Protest- 
tints  were  still  in  the  minority.  "Of  the  two  great  parties," he  says,  "one 
occujiied  the  north  and  the  other  the  south,  and  a  line  drawn  from  the 
Humber  (to  the  mouth  of  the  Severn  ?)  formed  the  boundary  of  their  ro- 
(ipective  dominions.  The  Catholics  of  the  north  were  headed  by  the  great 
families  (of  the  Percies  and  Nevilles),  and  had  on  their  side  all  those  ad- 
vantages which  the  prescription  of  ages  alone  can  give.  To  the  south  were 
the  Protestants,  who,  though  they  could  boast  of  none  of  those  great  his- 
torical names  which  reflected  a  lustre  on  their  opponents,  were  supported  by 
the  authority  of  the  government,  and  felt  that  enthusiastic  confidence  which 
only  belongs  to  a  young  religion." 


ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 


power  during  the  five  years  which  preceded  her  accession  to 
the  throne.  No  sooner  had  she  become  queen  than  the  em- 
barrassment of  her  position  was  at  once  felt.  The  Pope  de- 
nied her  legitimacy,  and  refused  to  recognize  her  authority. 
The  bishops  refused  to  crown  her.  The  two  universities 
united  with  Convocation  in  presenting  to  the  House  of  Lords 
a  declaration  in  favor  of  the  papal  supremacy.  The  King  of 
France  openly  supported  the  claim  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 
to  the  English  throne ;  and  a  large  and  influential  body  of 
the  nobility  and  gentry  were  her  secret,  if  not  her  avowed 
partisans. 

From  the  day  of  her  ascending  the  throne  Elizabeth  was 
the  almost  constant  object  of  plots  formed  to  destroy  her 
and  pave  the  way  for  the  re-establishment  of  the  old  relig- 
ion. Elizabeth  might  possibly  have  escaped  from  her  difli- 
culties  by  accepting  the  hand  of  Philip  11.  of  Spain,  which 
Avas  ofiered  her.  She  refused,  and  determined  to  trust  to  her 
people.  But  her  enemies  were  numerous,  powerful,  and  ac- 
tive in  conspiring  against  her  authority,  and  they  had  their 
emissaries  constantly  at  the  French  and  Spanish  courts,  and 
at  the  camp  of  Alva  in  the  Netherlands,  urging  the  invasion 
of  England  and  the  overthrow  of  the  English  queen. 

One  of  the  circumstances  which  gave  the  most  grievous  of- 
fense to  the  French  and  Spanish  monarchs  was  the  free  asy- 
lum which  Elizabeth  offered  in  England  to  the  Protestants 
flying  from  their  persecutions  abroad.  Though  those  rulers 
would  not  permit  their  subjects  to  worship  according  to  con- 
science in  their  own  country,  neither  would  they  tolerate  their 
leaving  it  to  worship  in  freedom  elsewhere.  Conformity,  not 
depopulation,  was  their  object,  but  conformity  by  force  if  not 
by  suasion.  All  attempts  made  by  the  persecuted  to  leave 
France  or  Flanders  were  accordingly  interdicted.  They  were 
threatened  with  confiscation  of  their  property  and  goods  if 
they  fled,  and  with  death  if  they  were  captured.  The  hearts 
of  the  kings  were  hardened,  and  they  "  would  not  let  the  peo- 
ple go  !"    But  the  sea  was  a  broad  and  free  road  that  could 


RECLAMATION  OF  THE  FUGITIVES. 


not  be  closed,  and  from  all  parts  of  the  coasts  of  France  and 
Flanders  the  tidings  reached  the  monarchs  of  the  es(fape  of 
their  subjects,  whom  they  had  failed  either  to  convert  or  to 
kill.  They  could  then  but  gnash  their  teeth  and  utter  threats 
against  the  queen  and  the  nation  that  had  given  their  perse- 
cuted people  asylum. 

The  French  king  formally  demanded  that  Elizabeth  should 
fcanish  his  fugitive  subjects  from  her  realm  as  rebels  and  her- 
etics ;  but  he  was  impotent  to  enforce  his  demands,  and  the 
fugitives  remained.  The  Spanish  monarch  then  called  upoii 
the  Pope  to  interfere,  and  he,  in  his  turn,  tried  to  close  the 
]  )orts  of  England  against  foreign  heretics.  In  a  communica- 
tion addressed  by  him  to  Elizabeth,  the  Pope  proclaimed  the 
fugitives  to  be  "  drunkards  and  sectaries" — ebriosi  et  sectaril 
— and  declared  "  that  all  such  as  were  the  worst  of  the  peo- 
ple resorted  to  England,  and  were  by  the  queen  received  into 
safe  protection" — ad  quam  velut  ad  asylum  omnium  im2)es- 
tissimi  perfugiuin  invenerimt. 

The  Pope's  denunciations  of  the  refugees  were  answered 
by  Bishop  Jewell,  who  vindicated  their  character,  and  held 
them  up  as  examples  of  industry  and  orderly  living.  "Is  it 
not  lawful,"  he  asked,  "  for  the  queen  to  receive  strangers 
Avithout  the  Pope's  Avarrant  ?"  Quoting  the  above-cited  Lat- 
in passages,  he  proceeded :  "  Thus  he  speaketh  of  the  poor  ex- 
iles of  Flanders,  France,  and  other  countries,  who  either  lost 
or  left  behind  them  all  that  they  had,  goods,  lands,  and  houses 
— not  for  adultery,  or  theft,  or  treason,  but  for  the  professioii 
of  the  Gospel.  It  pleased  God  here  to  cast  them  on  land ; 
the  queen,  of  her  gracious  pity,  hath  granted  them  hai'bor. 
,Is  it  so  heinous  a  thing  to  show  mercy?"  The  bishop  pro- 
ceeded to  retort  upon  the  Pope  for  hai'boring  6000  usurers 
and  20,000  courtesans  in  his  own  city  of  Rome ;  and  he  de- 
sired to  know  whether,  if  the  Pope  was  to  be  allowed  to  on 
tertaiii  such  "  servants  of  the  devil,"  the  Queen  of  England 
was  to  be  denied  the  liberty  of  receiving  "  a  few  servants  of 
God?"     "They  are,"  he  continued,  "our  brethren;  they  live 


ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 


not  idly.  If  they  have  houses  of  us,  they  pay  rent  for  them. 
They  hold  not  our  grounds  but  by  making  due  recompense. 
They  beg  not  in  our  streets,  nor  crave  any  thing  at  our  hands 
but  to  breathe  our  air  and  to  see  our  sun.  They  labor  true- 
fully,  they  live  sparingly.  They  arc  good  examples  of  virtue, 
travail,  laith,  and  patience.  The  towns  in  which  they  abide 
are  happy,  for  God  doth  follow  them  with  his  blessings."* 

When  the  French  and  Sj^anish  monarchs  found  that  Eliza- 
beth continued  to  give  an  asylum  to  their  Protestant  sub- 
jects, they  proceeded  to  compass  her  death.  Their  embassa- 
dors at  the  English  court  acted  as  spies  upon  her  proceed- 
ings, organized  plots  against  her,  and  stirred  up  discontent 
on  all  sides.  They  found  a  ready  instrument  in  the  Queen 
of  Scots,  then  confined  in  Tutbury  Castle.  Mary  was  not, 
however,  held  so  strict  a  prisoner  as  to  be  precluded  from 
carrying  on  an  active  correspondence  with  her  partisans  in 
England  and  Scotland,  with  the  Duke  of  Guise  and  others  in 
France,  and  with  the  Duke  of  Alva  and  Philip  11.  in  Flanders 
and  Spain.  Guilty  though  the  Queen  of  Scots  had  been  of 
the  death  of  her  husband,  the  Roman  Catholics  of  England 
regarded  her  as  their  rightful  head,  and  were  ready  to  rise  in 
arms  in  her  cause. 

Mary  was  an  inveterate  intriguer.  We  find  her  entreating 
the  courts  of  France  and  Spain  to  send  her  soldiers,  artillerj^- 
men,  and  arms ;  and  the  King  of  Spain  to  set  on  foot  the  in- 

*  Bishop  Jewell's  Works  (Parker  Society),  p.  1148,  1149.  The  refu- 
gee Flemings  also,  in  1567,  defended  themselves  against  tiie  charges  made 
against  them,  in  a  letter  to  the  Bishoj)  of  London,  inclosed  by  him  to  Cecil 
(as  preserved  in  the  State  Paper  Office),  in  which  they  referred  to  "the 
murders,  pillories,  massacres,  imprisonments,  re-baptisms  of  little  children, 
banishments,  confiscations,  and  all  sorts  of  '  desbordcments'  executed  against 
the  faithful  subjects  of  the  king  in  the  Low  Countries,  and  supjilicating  grace 
and  license"  "a  touts  gentilshommes,  borgeois,  marchants,  et  artizants  des 
Pays  Bas  de  povoir  librement  venir  en  cestun  vostre  royaumo,  et  scs  retirer 
enVilles  lesquelles  ils  vous  plaira  do  nommer  et  designer  a  cest  effect  et  quel- 
les  il  leur  soit  permit  de  librement  demeurer  negotier  et  exercer  toutes  sortes 
de  stils  et  mestiers  chascun  selon  sa  sorte  ct  qualite  ou  quelque  aultre  quil 
cstimera  plus  convcnable  en  regard  an  particulicrs  commodites  des  lieux  ct 
la  charge  touttefois  en  condition  que  chascun  apjiorte  certificate  a  I'apprus- 
mcnt  du  consistoire  de  I'Eglise  de  v're  villc  dc  Londrcs,"  etc. — Slate  Papers^ 
vol.  xliii.,  21). 


THE  POPE'S  B  ULL  A  GAINS  T  ELIZA  BETH.  It 

vasion  of  England,  with  the  object  of  dethroning  Elizabeth 
and  restoring  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  Her  importunities, 
as  well  as  th&  fascinations  of  her  person,  were  not  without 
their  effect  upon  those  under  her  immediate  influence ;  and 
she  succeeded  in  inducing  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  cher- 
ished the  hope  of  becoming  her  fourth  husband,  to  undertake 
a  scheme  for  her  liberation.  A  conspiracy  of  the  leading 
nobles  Avas  formed,  at  the  head  of  which  were  the  Earls  of 
Northumberland  and  Westmoreland  ;  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1568  they  raised  the  standaixi  of  revolt  in  the  northern  coun- 
ties, where  the  power  of  the  Roman  Catholic  party  Avas  the 
strongest.*  But  the  rising  was  speedily  supj^ressed ;  some 
of  its  leaders  fled  into  Scotland,  and  others  into  foreign  coun- 
tries; the  Duke  of  Norfolk  was  sent  to  the  Tower;  and  the 
queen's  authority  was  for  the  time  uijlield. 

The  Pope  next  launched  against  Elizabeth  the  most  formi- 
dable missile  of  the  Church — a  bull  of  excommunication — in 
which  he  declared  her  to  be  cut  off,  as  the  minister  of  iniqui- 
ty, from  the  community  of  the  faithful,  and  forbade  her  sub- 
jects to  recognize  her  as  their  sovereign.  This  document 
was  found  nailed  up  on  the  Bishop  of  London's  door  on  the 
morning  of  the  15th  of  May,  1570.  The  French  and  Si^anish 
courts  now  considered  themselves  at  liberty  to  compass  tlie 
life  of  Elizabeth  by  assassination. f     The  Cardinal  de  Lor- 

*  After  having  written  to  Pope  Pius  V.,  the  Spanish  embassador,  and  the 
Duke  of  Alva,  to  request  their  assistance,  and  to  advise  that  a  port  should 
he  seized  on  the  eastern  coast  of  England,  where  it  would  be  easy  to  disem- 
bark troops,  .  .  .  they  left  Brancepath  on  the  14th  of  November,  at  the  head 
of  500  horsemen,  and  marched  toward  Durham.  The  insurrection  was  en- 
tirely Catholic.  They  had  painted  Jesus  Christ  on  the  cross,  witli  his  five 
bleeding  wounds,  upon  a  banner  borne  by  old  Norton,  who  was  inspired  by 
the  most  religious  enthusiasm.  The  people  of  Durham  opened  their  gates 
and  joined  the  rebels.  Thus  made  masters  of  the  town,  the  insurgents  pro- 
ceeded to  the  cathedral,  burned  the  Bible,  destroyed  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  broke  in  pieces  the  Protestant  communion-table,  and  restored  the 
old  form  of  worship. — Mignet — History  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  Lond.  ed., 
IS.^^ii.,  100. 

t  Assassination  was  in  those  days  regarded  as  the  readiest  method  of  get- 
ting rid  of  an  adversary;  and  in  the  case  of  an  excommunicated  ])crson,  it 
was  regarded  almost  in  the  light  of  a  religious  duty.  When  the  Regent 
Murray  (of  Scotland)  was  assassinated  by  Bothwcllhaugh,  in  1570,  IMary  of 


7G  ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 

raine,  head  of  the  Church  in  France,  and  the  confidential  ad- 
viser of  the  queen-mother,  hired  a  party  of  assassins  in  the 
course  of  the  same  year  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  Eliza- 
beth, because  of  the  encouragement  she  had  given  to  Coliguy 
and  the  French  Huguenots.  Again,  the  Duke  of  Alva,  in  his 
correspondence  with  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and  the  leaders  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  party  in  England,  insisted  throughout 
that  the  first  condition  of  sending  a  Spanish  army  to  their 
assistance  was  the  death  of  Elizabeth. 

Such  was  the  state  of  afiairs  when  the  Bishop  of  Ross,  one 
of  Mary's  most  zealous  partisans,  set  on  foot  a  conspiracy  for 
the  destruction  of  the  queen.  The  principal  agent  employed 
in  communicating  with  foreign  powers  on  the  subject  was 
one  Ridolfi,  a  rich  Florentine  banker  in  London,  director  of 
the  company  of  Italian  merchants,  and  an  ardent  jjapist. 
Minute  instructions  were  drawn  up  and  intrusted  to  Ridolfi, 
to  be  laid  by  him  before  Pope  Pius  V.  and  Philip  11.  of  Spain. 
On  his  way  to  Rome  through  the  Low  Countries  he  Avaited 
on  the  Duke  of  Alva,  and  presented  to  him  a  letter  from 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  beseeching  him  to  furnish  her  with 
prompt  assistance,  with  the  object  of  "  laying  all  this  island" 
under  perpetual  obligations  to  his  master  the  King  of  Spain 
as  well  as  to  herself,  as  the  faithful  executor  of  his  com- 
mands.* 

At  Rome  Ridolfi  was  welcomed  by  the  Pope,  who  eagerly 
adoi)ted  his  plans,  and  furnished  him  with  a  letter  to  Philip 
n.,  conjuring  that  monarch,  by  his  fervent  piety  toward  God, 
to  furnish  all  the  means  he  might  judge  most  suitable  for 
carrying  them  into  eff*ect.    Ridolfi  next  proceeded  to  Madrid 


gave  him  a  pension.     Many  attempts  were  about  the  same  time  made 
le  life  of  William  of  Orange,  surnamed  "The  Silent."     One  made  at 


Scots 

Mechlin,  in  l.')7'2,  ])rovcd  a  failure;  but  he  was  finally  assassinated  at  Delft, 
in  1585,  by  Balthazar  Gerard,  an  avowed  agent  of  riiilip  11.  and  the  Jesuits ; 
Phili])  having  afterward  ennobled  the  family  of  the  assassin.  The  wife  of 
William  of  (Jrange,  in  whose  arras  he  expired,  was  a  daughter  of  Admiral 
Coligny. 

*  rriuce  Labanoff's  Collection,  iii.,  21G-220,  cited  by  'MiG-NET—IIistory  of 
Mary  (^iicai  of  Scots,  ii.,  135. 


SPANISH  PLOT  A  GAINST  ELIZA  BETH.  77 

to  hold  an  interview  with  the  Spanish  court  and  arrange  for 
the  murder  of  the  English  queen.  He  was  received  to  a  con- 
ference with  the  Council  of  State,  at  which  were  present  the 
Pope's  nuncio,  the  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Seville  (Inquisitor 
General) ;  the  Grand  Prior  of  Castile,  the  Duke  of  Feria,  the 
Prince  of  Eboli,  and  other  high  ministers  of  Spain.  Ridolfi 
]>roceeded  to  lay  his  plan  for  assassinating  Elizabeth  before 
the  council.*  He  said  "the  blow  would  not  be  struck  in 
London,  because  that  city  was  the  strong-hold  of  heresy,  but 
while  she  was  traveling."  On  the  council  proceedmg  to  dis- 
cuss the  expediency  of  the  projiosed  murder,  the  Pope's  nun- 
cio at  once  undertook  to  answer  all  objections.  The  one 
sufficient  pretext,  he  said,  was  the  bull  of  excommunication. 
The  vicar  of  God  had  deprived  Elizabeth  of  her  throne,  and 
tlie  soldiers  of  the  Church  were  the  instruments  of  his  decree 
to  execute  the  sentence  of  heaven  against  the  heretical  ty- 
rant. On  this,  one  Chapin  Vitelli,  who  had  come  from  Flan- 
ders to  attend  the  council,  offered  himself  as  the  assassin. 
He  said,  if  the  matter  was  intrusted  to  him,  he  would  take  or 
kill  the  queen.  The  councilors  of  state  present  then  several- 
ly stated  their  views,  which  were  placed  on  record,  and  are 
still  to  be  seen  in  the  archives  at  Simancas. 

Philip  H.  concurred  in  the  plot,  and  professed  himself  ready 
to  undertake  the  conquest  of  England  by  force  if  it  failed ; 
but  he  suggested  that  the  Pope  should  supply  the  necessary 
money.  Philip,  however,  was  a  man  of  hesitating  purpose  ; 
and,  foreseeing  the  dangers  of  the  enterprise,  he  delayed  em- 
barking in  it,  and  eventually  resolved  on  leaving  the  matter 
to  the  decision  of  the  Duke  of  Alva.f 

While  these  measures  against  the  life  of  Elizabeth  were 
being  devised  abroad,  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  was  diligently 

*  The  minutes  of  this  remarkahle  meeting  of  council  were  fully  written 
out  by  Zayas,  Secretary  of  State,  and  are  preserved  in  the  archives  of  Si- 
mancas (Inglaterra,  fol.  823).  We  follow  the  account  given  by  Mignet  in  his 
History  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  published  in  1851,  since  fully  confirmed  by 
Mr.  Froude  in  his  recently  published  History  of  England  from  the  Fall  of 
Wolsey  to  the  Death  of  Elizabeth,  vol.  iv. 

t  ]\iiGSET — History  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots. 


78  ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 

occupied  at  Cbatsworth  in  encouraging  a  like  plot  at  home 
with  the  same  object.  Lord  Burleigh,  however,  succeeded 
in  gaining  a  clew  to  the  conspiracy,  on  which  the  principal 
agents  in  England  were  apprehended,  and  the  queen  was  put 
upon  her  guard.  The  Spanish  embassador,  Don  Gerau,  being 
found  in  secret  correspondence  with  Mary,  was  warned  to 
dejjart  the  realm;  his  last  characteristic  act  being  to  hire 
two  bravoes  to  assassinate  Burleigh,  and  he  lingered  upon 
the  road  to  Dover,  hoping  to  hear  that  the  deed  had  been 
done.  But  the  assassins  Avere  detected  in  time,  and,  instead 
of  taking  Burleigh's  life,  they  only  lost  their  own. 

The  Protestant  party  were  from  time  to  time  thrown  into 
agonies  of  alarm  by  the  rumor  of  these  plots  against  the  life 
of  their  queen,  and  by  the  reported  apprehension  of  agents  of 
foreign  powers  arriving  in  England  for  the  purpose  of  stir- 
ring up  rebellion  and  preparing  the  way  for  the  landing  of 
the  Duke  of  Alva  and  his  army.  The  intelligence  brought 
by  tlie  poor  hunted  Flemings,  who  had  by  this  time  landed 
in  England  in  large  numbers,  and  settled  in  London  and  the 
principal  towns  of  the  south,  and  the  accounts  which  they 
spread  abroad  of  the  terrors  of  Philip's  rule  in  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, told  plainly  enough  what  the  English  Protestants  had 
to  expect  if  the  threatened  Spanish  invasion  succeeded. 

The  effect  of  these  proceedings  was  to  rouse  a  general  feel- 
ing of  indignation  against  the  foreign  plotters  and  persecu- 
tors, and  to  evoke  an  active  and  energetic  public  opinion  in 
support  of  the  queen  and  her  government.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  English  people  were  probably  still  in  a  great 
measure  undecided  as  to  their  faith  ;  but  their  feeling  of  na- 
tionality was  intense.  The  conduct  of  Elizabeth  herself  was 
doubtless  influenced  quite  as  much  by  political  as  religious 
considerations  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  difficulties  by  which 
she  was  surrounded,  her  policy  doubtless  seemed  tortuous 
and  inconsistent.  The  nation  Avas,  indeed,  in  one  of  the 
greatest  crises  of  its  fate  ;  and  the  queen,  her  ministers,  and 
the  nation  at  large,  every  day  more  clearly  recognized  in  the 


INDIGNATION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  NATION.  7<J 

great  questions  at  stake  not  merely  the  cause  of  Protestant- 
ism against  Popery,  but  of  English  nationality  against  foreign 
ascendency,  and  of  resistance  to  the  threatened  yoke  of  Rome, 
France,  and  Spain. 

The  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  wliich  shortly  followed, 
exercised  a  powerful  influence  in  determining  the  sympathies 
of  the  English  people.  The  news  of  its  occurrence  called 
forth  a  general  shout  of  execration.  The  Huguenot  fugitives 
who  crowded  for  refuge  into  the  southern  ports  brought  with 
them  accounts  of  the  barbarities  practiced  on  their  fellovv- 
countrymen  which  filled  the  mind  of  the  nation  with  horror. 
Tlie  people  would  have  rushed  willingly  into  a  war  to  punish 
the  perfidy  and  cruelty  of  the  French  Roman  Catholics,  but 
Elizabeth  forbade  her  subjects  to  take  up  arms  excejn  on 
their  own  account  as  private  volunteers. 

"What  the  queen's  private  feelings  were  may  be  inferred 
from  the  reception  which  she  gave  to  La  Mothe  Fenelon,  the 
French  embassador,  on  his  first  appearance  at  court  after  the 
massacre.  For  several  days  she  refused  to  see  liim,  but  at 
length  admitted  him  to  an  audience.  The  lords  and  ladies 
in  waiting  received  him  in  profound  silence.  They  were 
dressed  in  deep  mourning,  and  grief  seemed  to  sit  on  every 
countenance.  They  did  not  deign  to  salute,  or  even  to  look 
at  the  embassador,  as  he  advanced  toward  the  queen,  who  re- 
ceived him  with  a  severe  and  mournful  countenance  ;  and, 
stammering  out  his  odious  apology,  he  hastened  from  her 
presence.  Rarely,  if  ever,  had  a  French  embassador  appear- 
ed at  a  foreign  court  ashamed  of  the  country  he  represented ; 
but  on  this  occasion  La  Mothe  Fenelon  declared,  in  the  bit- 
terness of  his  heart,  that  he  blushed  to  bear  the  name  of 
Frenchman. 

The  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew  most  probably  sealed 
the  fate  of  Mary  Stuart,  She  herself  rejoiced  in  it  as  a  bold 
stroke  for  the  faith,  and,  it  might  be,  the  signal  for  a  like  en- 
terprise on  her  own  behalf.  Accordingly,  she  went  on  plot- 
ting as  before,  and  in  1581  she  was  found  engaged  in  a  con- 


80  ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 

spiracy  witli  the  Duke  of  Lennox  for  the  re-establishment  of 
poper)^  in  Scotland,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Jesuits.*  These 
intrigues  of  the  Queen  of  Scots  at  length  became  intolerable. 
Her  repeated  and  urgent  solicitations  to  the  King  of  Spain  to 
invade  England  with  a  view  to  the  re-establishment  of  the 
old  religion — the  conspiracies  against  the  life  of  Elizabeth  in 
Avhich  she  was  from  time  to  time  detectedf — excited  the  ve- 
liemcnt  indignation  of  the  English  nation,  and  eventually  led 
to  her  trial  and  execution  ;  for  it  was  felt  that  so  long  as 
Mary  Stuart  lived  the  life  of  the  English  queen,  as  well  as  the 
liberties  of  the  English  people,  were  in  daily  jeopardy. 

It  is  doubtless  easy  to  condemn  the  policy  of  Elizabeth  in 
this  matter,  now  that  we  are  living  in  the  light  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  peacefully  enjoying  the  freedom  won  for 
us  through  the  suffering  and  agony  of  our  forefathers.  But, 
in  judging  of  the  transactions  of  those  times,  it  is  right  that 
allowance  should  be  made  for  the  different  moral  sense  which 
then  prevailed,  as  well  as  the  circumstances  amid  which  the 
nation  carriec*  on  its  life-and-death  struggle  for  independent 
existence.     Right  is  still  right,  it  is  true ;  but  the  times  have 

*  MiGNET — History  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  ii.,  207-12. 

t  One  of  such  conspiracies  against  the  life  of  Elizabeth  was  that  conducted 
bv  John  Ballard,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  in  1586.  The  {)rincipal  instru- 
ment in  the  affair  was  one  Anthony  Babinpton,  who  had  been  for  two  years 
the  intermediary  correspondent  between  Mary  Stuart,  the  Archbishop  of 
Glasgow,  and  Paget  and  Morgan,  his  co-conspirators.  Ballard,  Babington, 
and  the  rest  of  the  gang  were  detected,  watched,  and  eventually  captured 
and  condemned,  tln-ough  the  vigilance  of  Elizabeth's  ever-watchful  minister 
Walsinghara.  Mary  had  been  kept  fully  advised  of  all  their  proceedings. 
Babington  wrote  to  her  in  June,  1587,  explaining  the  intention  of  the  con- 
spirators, and  enumerating  all  the  means  for  getting  rid  of  Elizabeth.  "  My- 
self in  person,"  he  said,  "with  ten  gentlemen  and  a  hundred  others  of  our 
company  and  suite,  will  undertake  the  deliverance  of  your  royal  person  from 
the  hands  of  your  enemies.  As  regards  getting  rid  of  the  usurper,  from  sub- 
jection to  whom  we  are  absolved  by  the  act  of  excommunication  issued 
against  her,  there  are  six  gentlemen  of  quality,  all  of  them  my  intimate 
friends,  who,  for  the  love  they  bear  to  the  Catholic  cause  and  to  your  maj- 
esty's service,  will  undertake  the  tragic  execution."  In  the  same  letter 
Babington  requested  Mary  Stuart  to  appoint  i)crsons  to  act  as  her  lieuten- 
ants, and  raise  the  populace  in  Wales,  and  in  tiie  counties  of  Lancashire, 
Derby,  and  Stafford.  This  letter,  with  others  to  a  like  effect,  duly  came 
into  the  possession  of  Walsingham. — See  Mignet — History  of  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots. 


THE  SACRED  ARMADA.  81 

become  completely  changed,  and  public  opinion  has  changed 
with  them. 

In  the  mean  while,  religious  persecutions  continued  to  rage 
abroad  with  as  much  fury  as  before,  and  fugitives  from  Flan- 
ders and  France  continued  to  take  refuge  in  England,  where 
they  received  protection  and  asylum.  F'ew  of  the  refugees 
brought  any  property  with  them ;  the  greater  number  were 
entirely  destitute.  But  very  many  of  them  brought  with 
them  that  kind  of  wealth  which  money  could  not  buy — in- 
telligence, skill,  virtue,  and  the  spirit  of  independence ;  those 
very  qualities  which  made  them  hateful  to  their  persecutors, 
rendering  them  all  the  more  valuable  subjects  in  the  countries 
of  their  adoption. 

A  large  part  of  Flanders,  before  so  rich  and  so  prosperous, 
had  by  this  time  become  reduced  almost  to  a  state  of  desert. 
The  country  was  eaten  bare  by  the  Spanish  armies.  Wild 
beasts  infested  the  abandoned  dwellings  of  the  peasantry, 
and  wolves  littered  their  young  in  the  deserted  farm-houses. 
Bruges  and  Ghent  became  the  resort  of  thieves  and  paupers. 
The  sack  of  Antwerj?  in  1585  gave  the  last  blow  to  the  stag- 
gering industry  of  that  great  city ;  and  though  many  of  its 
best  citizens  had  already  fled  from  it  into  Holland  and  En- 
gland, one  third  of  the  remaining  merchants  and  workers  in 
silks,  damasks,  and  other  stuffs  shook  the  dust  of  the  Low 
Countries  from  their  feet,  and  left  the  country  forever. 

Philip  of  S^^ain  at  length  determined  to  take  summary 
vengeance  upon  England.  He  was  master  of  the  most  pow- 
erful army  and  navy  in  the  world,  and  he  believed  that  he 
could  effect  by  force  what  he  had  been  unable  to  compass  by 
intrigue.  The  most  stern  and  bigoted  of  kings,  the  great  co- 
lossus of  the  Papacy,  the  duly-appointed  Defender  of  the 
Faith,  he  resolved,  at  the  same  time  that  he  pursued  and  pun- 
ished his  recreant  subjects  who  had  taken  refuge  in  England, 
to  degrade  and  expel  the  sacrilegious  occupant  of  the  English 
throne.  Accordingly,  in  1588,  he  prepared  and  launched  his 
Sacred  Armada,  one  of  the  most  powerful  armaments  that 

F 


82  ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 

ever  put  to  sea.  It  consisted  of  130  ships,  besides  transports, 
carrying  2650  great  guns  and  33,000  soldiers  and  sailors,  be- 
sides 180  priests  and  monks  under  a  Vicar  General  of  the 
Holy  Inquisition.  It  was  also  furnished  with  chains  and  in- 
struments of  torture,  and  wath  smiths  to  set  them  to  work 
— destined  for  the  punishment  of  the  pestilent  heretics  who 
had  so  long  defied  the  power  of  Spain. 

This  armament  was  to  be  joined  in  its  jDrogress  by  another 
equally  powerful  off  the  coast  of  Flanders,  consisting  of  an 
immense  fleet  of  flat-bottomed  boats,  carrying  an  army  of 
100,000  men,  equipped  with  the  best  weapons  and  materials 
of  war,  Avho  Avere  to  be  conveyed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Thames 
under  the  escort  of  the  great  Spanish  fleet. 

The  expedition  was  ably  planned.  The  Pope  blessed  it, 
and  j^romised  to  co-operate  with  his  money,  pledging  himself 
to  advance  a  million  of  ducats  so  soon  as  the  expedition 
reached  the  British  shores.  At  the  same  time,  the  bull  issued 
by  Pope  Pius  V.,  excommunicating  Elizabeth  and  dispossess- 
ing her  of  her  throne,  was  confirmed  by  Sixtus  V.,  and  reis- 
sued with  additional  anathemas.  Setting  forth  under  such 
auspices,  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  Catholic  Europe  en- 
tertained the  conviction  that  the  expedition  miist  necessarily 
be  successful,  and  that  Elizabeth  and  Protestantism  in  En- 
gland were  doomed  to  inevitable  destruction. 

No  measure  could,  however,  have  been  better  calculated 
than  this  to  weld  the  English  peo])le  of  all  ranks  and  classes. 
Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants,  into  one  united  nation.  The 
threatened  invasion  of  England  by  a  foreign  power — al)ove 
all,  by  a  power  so  hated  as  Spain — roused  the  jiatriotic  feel- 
ing in  all  hearts.  There  was  a  general  rising  and  arming  by 
land  and  by  sea.  Along  the  south  coast  the  whole  maritime 
]iopulation  arrayed  themselves  in  arms;  and  every  available 
shij),  sloop,  and  wherry  was  manned  and  sent  forth  to  meet 
and  fight  the  Spaniards. 

The  result  is  matter  of  history.  The  Sacred  and  Invinci- 
ble Armada  was  shattered  by  the  ships  of  Drake,  Hawkins, 


PHILIP  IL  AND  ELIZABETH.  tjj 

and  Howard,  and  finally  scattered  by  the  tempests  of  the  Al- 
mighty. The  free  asylum  of  England  Avas  maintamed ;  the 
hunted  exiles  were  thenceforward  free  to  Avorship  and  to  la- 
bor in  peace ;  and  beneficent  effects  of  the  addition  of  so  many 
skilled,  industrious,  and  free-minded  men  to  our  population 
are  felt  in  England  to  this  day. 

Philij)  n.  of  Spain  died  in  1598,  the  same  year  in  which 
Henry  IV,  of  France  promulgated  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  At 
his  accession  to  the  Spanisli  throne  in  1556,  Philip  was  the 
most  poAverful  monarch  in  Europe,  served  by  the  ablest  gen- 
orals  and  admirals,  with  an  immense  army  and  navy  at  his 
command.  At  his  death,  Spain  Avas  distracted  and  defeated, 
Avith  a  bankrupt  exchequer ;  Holland  Avas  free,  and  Flanders 
in  ruins.  The  intellect  and  energies  of  Spain  Avere  prostrate; 
but  the  priests  Avere  paramount.  The  only  institution  that 
flourished  throughout  the  dominions  of  Philij),  at  his  death, 
Avas  the  Inquisition. 

Elizabeth  of  England,  on  the  other  hand,  succeeded,  in  1558, 
to  an  impoverished  kingdom,  an  empty  exchequer,  and  the 
government  of  a  distracted  people,  one  half  of  whom  denied, 
and  were  even  ready  to  resist,  her  authority.  England  was 
then  without  weight  in  the  affairs  of  Europe.  She  had  no 
army,  and  her  naA^y  Avas  contemptible.  After  a  reign  of  for- 
ty-five years,  the  aspect  of  affairs  had  become  completely 
changed.  The  nation  Avas  found  firmly  united,  content,  free, 
and  prosperous.  An  immense  impulse  had  been  given  to  in- 
dustry. The  intellect  of  the  people  had  become  aAvakened, 
and  a  literature  sprang ^^p  Avhich  is  the  wonder  cA'cn  of  mod- 
ern times.  The  power  of  England  abroad  was  every  Avhere 
recognized.  The  sceptre  of  the  seas  was  Avrested  from  Siaain, 
and  England  thenceforAvard  commanded  the  high  road  to 
America  and  the  Indies. 

The  queen  was  supported  by  able  ministers,  though  not 
more  able  than  those  Avho  surrounded  the  King  of  Spain, 
But  the  spirit  that  moved  them  Avas  AvhoUy  different — the 
English  monarch  encouraging  freedom,  the  Spanish  repress- 


84  ENGLAND,  FRANCE,  AND  SPAIN. 

ing  it.     As  the  one  was  the  founder  of  modern  England,  so 
the  other  was  of  modern  Spain. 

It  is  true,  Elizabeth  did  not  rise  to  the  high  idea  of  com- 
plete religious  liberty.  But  no  one  then  did — not  even  the 
most  advanced  thinker.  Still,  the  foundations  of  such  liberty- 
were  laid,  while  industry  was  fostered  and  protected.  It 
was  accomplishing  much  to  have  done  this.  The  rest  was 
the  work  of  experience  working  under  an  atmosphere  of  free- 
dom. 


CHAPTER  V, 

SETTLEMENTS   AND   INDUSTRIES    OF   THE    PROTESTANT 
REFUGEES. 

The  early  English  were  a  pastoral  and  agricultural,  and 
by  no  means  a  manufacturing  people.  In  the  thirteenth  and 
fourteenth  centuries,  most  articles  of  clothing,  excepting  such 
as  were  produced  by  ordinary  domestic  industry,  were  im- 
ported from  Flanders,  France,  and  Germany.*  The  great 
stajDle  was  wool,  which  was  sent  abroad  in  vast  quantities. 
"  The  ribs  of  all  people  throughout  the  world,"  wrote  Mat- 
thew Paris, "  are  kept  warm  by  the  fleeces  of  English  wool." 

The  wool  and  its  growers  were  on  one  side  of  the  Channel, 
and  the  skilled  workmen  who  dyed  and  wove  it  into  cloth 
were  on  the  other.  When  war  broke  out,  and  communica- 
tion between  the  two  shores  was  interrupted,  as  much  dis- 
tress was  occasioned  in  Flanders  as  was  lately  experienced 
in  Lancashire  by  the  stoppage  of  the  supply  of  cotton  from 
the  United  States.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, w^hen  the  export  of  wool  from  England  was  prohib- 
ited, the  eflect  Avas  to  reduce  the  manufacturmg  population 
throughout  the  Low  Countries  to  destitution  and  despair. 

*  Besides  the  cloth  of  Flanders,  England  was  also  supplied  with  most  of 
its  finer  fabi-ics  from  abroad,  the  names  of  the  articles  to  this  day  indicating 
the  places  where  they  were  manufactured.  Thus  there  was  the  mechlin 
lace  of  JNIechlin,  the  duffle  of  Duffel,  the  diaper  of  Ypres  (d'Ypres),  the  cam- 
bric of  Cambray,  the  arras  of  Arras,  the  tulle  of  Tulle,  the  damask  of  Da- 
mascus, and  the  dimity  of  Diaraetta.  Besides  these,  we  imported  delph 
ware  from  Delft,  Venetian  glass  from  Venice,  cordovan  leather  from  Cordova, 
and  milanery  from  Milan.  The  Milaners  of  London  were  a  special  class  of 
general  dealers.  They  sold  not  only  French  and  Flemish  cloths,  but  Span- 
ish gloves  and  girdles,  Milan  caps  and  cutlery,  silk,  lace,  needles,  pins  for 
ladies'  dresses  (before  which  skewers  were  used),  swoi'ds,  knives,  daggers, 
brooches,  glass,  porcelain,  and  various  articles  of  foreign  manufacture.  The 
name  of  ''milliner" (from  Milaner)  is  now  applied  only  to  dealers  in  ladies' 
caps  and  bonnets. 


86  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

"Then  might  be  seen  throughout  Flanders,"  says  the  local 
historian, "  weavers,  fullers,  and  others  living  by  the  woolen 
manufacture,  either  begging,  or,  driven  by  debt,  tilling  the 
soil."* 

At  the  same  time,  like  distress  overtook  the  English  wool- 
growers,  who  lost  the  market  for  their  produce,  on  Avhich 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  rely.  It  naturally  occurred  to 
the  English  kings  that  it  would  be  of  great  advantage  to 
this  country  to  have  the  wool  made  into  cloth  by  the  hands 
of  their  own  people,  instead  of  sending  it  abroad  for  the  jDur- 
pose.  They  accordingly  held  out  invitations  to  the  distressed 
Flemish  artisans  to  come  and  settle  in  England,  where  they 
would  find  abundant  employment  at  remunerative  wages  ; 
and  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  a  largo  number  of 
Flemings  came  over  and  settled  in  London,  Kent,  Norfolk, 
Devon,  Somerset, Yorkshire,  Lancashire,  and  Westmoreland. f 

The  same  policy  was  pursued  by  successive  English  kings, 
down  to  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  who  encouraged  skilled 
artisans  of  all  kinds  to  settle  in  England,  as  armorers,  cutlers, 
miners,  brewers,  and  ship-builders ;  the  i)rincipal  craftsmen 
employed  by  the  court  being  Flemings  and  Germans.  The 
immigration  of  foreigners  persecuted  for  conscience'  sake  be- 
gan in  the  reign  of  his  successor  Edward  VI.,  after  which 
there  was  no  longer  any  necessity  for  holding  out  iuA'itations 
to  skilled  artisans  of  other  countries  to  settle  among  us. 
Latimer,  preaching  before  the  king  on  one  occasion,  shrewd- 
ly observed  of  the  distressed  foreigners  then  beginning  to 
flow  into  the  country  —  "I  wish  that  we  could  collect  to- 
gether such  valuable  persons  in  this  kingdom  as  it  Avould 
be  the  means  of  insuring  its  prosperity."  Very  few  years 
passed  before  Latimer's  wish  was  fully  realized  ;  and  there 
was  scarcely  a  town  of  any  importance  in  England  in  which 
foreign  artisans  were  not  found  settled  and  diligently  pur- 
suin<jr  their  several  callino-s. 


*  Meter — Annales  Fla-ndrm,  p.  137. 

t  Appendix — Early  Si'tt/rment  of  Forehjii  Artlsnvs  in  En 


<qhnd. 


INFLUX  OF  FOREIGN  ARTISANS.  87 


The  immigration  of  the  Protestant  Flemings  in  Edward 
VI.'s  reign  was  so  considerable,  that  in  1550  the  king  gave 
them  the  church  in  Austin  Friars,  Broad  Street, "  to  have 
their  service  in,  and  for  avoiding  all  sects  of  Anabaptists  and 
the  like."  The  influx  continued  at  such  a  rate  as  to  inter- 
fere with  the  employment  of  the  native  population,  who  oc- 
casionally showed  a  disposition  to  riot,  and  even  to  expel  the 
foreigners  by  violence.  In  a  letter  written  by  Francis  Peyto 
to  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  then  at  Rome,  the  following  passage 
occurs :  "  Five  or  six  hundred  men  waited  upon  the  mayor 
and  aldermen,  complaining  of  the  late  influx  of  strangers, 
and  that,  by  reason  of  the  great  dearth,  they  can  not  live 
for  these  strangers,  whom  they  were  determined  to  kill  up 
through  the  realm  if  they  found  no  remedy.  To  pacify  them, 
the  mayor  and  aldermen  caused  an  esteame  to  be  made  of 
all  strangers  in  London,  which  showed  an  amount  of  forty 
thousand,  besides  women  and  children,  for  the  most  part 
heretics  fled  out  of  other  countries."*  Although  this  esti- 
mate was  probably  a  gross  exaggeration,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  by  this  time  a  large  number  of  the  exiles  had 
arrived  and  settled  in  London  and  other  English  towns. 

The  infliix  of  the  persecuted  Protestants,  however,  did  not 
fully  set  in  until  about  ten  years  later,  about  the  beginning 
of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  The  fugitives,  in  the  extremity  to 
which  they  were  reduced,  naturally  made  for  that  part  of  the 
English  coast  which  lay  the  nearest  to  Flanders  and  France. 
Li  1561,  a  considerable  body  of  fugitive  Flemings  landed 
near  Deal,  and  subsequently  settled  at  the  then  decayed 
town  of  Sandwich.  The  queen  was  no  sooner  informed  of 
their  landing  than  she  wrote  to  the  mayor,  jurats,  and  com- 
monalty of  the  burgh,  enjoining  them  to  give  liberty  to  the 
foreigners  to  settle  there  and  carry  on  their  respective  trades. 
She  recommended  the  measure  as  calculated  to  greatly  ben- 
efit the  town  by  "plantynge  in  the  same  men  of  knowledge 
in  sundry  handycrafts,"  in  which  they  "  were  very  skilful ;" 
*  Calendar  of  State  Papers,  Foreign  Scries:,  1547-53. 


«8        SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

and  her  majesty  more  particularly  enjoined  that  the  trades 
the  foreign  artisans  were  to  carry  on  Avere  "  the  makinge  of 
says,  bays,  and  other  cloth,  which  hath  not  been  used  to  be 
made  in  this  our  realme  of  Englonde." 

Other  landings  of  Flemings  took  place  about  the  same  time 
at  Harwich,  at  Yarmouth,  at  Dover,  and  other  towns  on  the 
southeast  coast.  Some  settled  at  the  places  where  they  had 
landed,  and  began  to  pursue  their  several  branches  of  indus- 
try, while  others  proceeded  to  London,  Norwich,  Maidstone^ 
Canterbury,  and  other  inland  towns,  where  the  local  author- 
ities gave  them  like  protection  and  succor. 

The  year  after  the  arrival  of  the  Flemings  at  Sandwich,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  little  sea-port  of  Rye,  on  the  coast  of  Sus- 
sex, were  thrown  into  a  state  of  commotion  by  the  sudden 
arrival  of  a  number  of  destitute  French  people  from  the  op- 
posite coast.  Some  came  in  open  boats,  others  in  sailing  ves- 
sels. They  were  of  all  classes  and  conditions,  and  among 
them  were  many  Avomen  and  children.  They  had  fled  from 
their  own  country  in  great  haste,  and  were  nearly  all  alike 
destitute.  Some  crossed  the  Channel  in  mid-Avmter,  braving 
the  stormiest  weather ;  and  when  they  reached  the  English 
shore  they  usually  fell  upon  their  knees  and  thanked  God  for 
their  deliverance. 

In  May,  1562,  we  find  John  Young,  mayor  of  Rye,  writing 
to  Sir  "William  Cecil,  the  queen's  chief  secretary,  as  follows : 
"May  it  please  your  honor,  there  is  daily  great  resort  of 
Frenchmen  here,  insomuch  as  already  there  is  esteemed  to 
be  500  persons ;  and  we  be  in  great  want  of  corn  for  their  and 
our  sustentation,  by  reason  the  country  adjoining  is  barren. 
....  Also  may  it  please  your  honor,  after  night  and  this  day 
is  come  two  shippis  of  Dieppe  into  this  haven,  full  of  many 
jieople."* 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Rye  is  situated  at  the  south- 
western extremity  of  the  great  Romney  Marsh ;  and  as  no 
corn  was  grown  in  the  neighborhood,  the  wheat  consumed  in 
*  Domestic  State  Papers — Elizabeth,  15G2.     No.  35. 


LANDINGS   OF  PERSECUTED  PROTESTANTS.  89 

the  place  Avas  all  brought  thither  by  sea,  or  from  a  distance 
inland  over  the  then  almost  impassable  roads  of  Sussex.  The 
townspeople  of  Rye  nevertheless  bestirred  themselves  in  aid 
of  the  poor  refugees.  They  took  them  mto  their  houses,  fed 
them,  and  supplied  their  wants  as  well  as  they  could;  but 
the  fugitives  continued  to  arrive  in  such  numbers  thax  the 
provisions  of  the  place  soon  began  to  run  short. 

These  landings  continued  during  the  summer  of  1562 ;  and 
even  as  late  as  November  the  mayor  again  wrote  to  Cecil: 
"May  it  please  your  honor  to  be  advertised  that  the  third 
day  of  the  present  month,  at  twelve  of  the  clocke,  there  ar- 
rived a  bote  from  Dieppe,  Avith  Frenchmen,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, to  the  number  of  a  hundred  and  fiftye ;  there  being  a 
great  number  also  which  were  here  before."  And  as  late  as 
the  10th  of  December,  the  French  people  still  flying  for  ref- 
uge, though  winter  had  already  set  in  severely,  the  mayor 
again  wrote  that  another  boat  had  arrived  with  "  maney  poor 
people,  as  well  men  and  women  as  children,  which  Avere  of 
Rouen  and  Dieppe." 

Six  years  j^assed,  and  again,  in  1568,  we  find  another  boat- 
load of  fugitives  from  France  landing  at  Rye:  "Monsieur 
Gamayes,  with  his  wife  and  children  and  ten  strangers  ;  and 
Captain  Sows,  with  his  wife  and  two  servants,  who  had  all 
come  out  of  France,  as  they  said,  for  the  safeguard  of  their 
lives."  Four  years  later,  in  1572,  there  was  a  farther  influx  of 
refugees  at  Rye,  the  mayor  again  writing  to  Lord  Burleigh, 
informing  him  that  between  the  27tli  of  August  and  the  4th 
of  November  no  fewer  than  641  had  landed.  The  records 
have  been  preserved  of  the  names  and  callings  of  most  of  the 
immigrants,  from  which  it  appears  that  they  were  of  all  ranks 
and  conditions,  including  gentlemen,  merchants,  doctors  of 
physic,  ministers  of  religion,  students,  schoolmasters,  trades- 
men, mechanics,  artisans,  shipwrights,  mariners,  and  laborers. 
Among  the  fugitives  Avere  also  scA^eral  widoAvs,  Avho  had  fled 
with  their  children  across  the  sixty  miles  of  sea  which  there 
divide  France   and  England,  sometimes   by  night  in  open 


90        SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

boats,  braving  the  fury  of  the  winds  and  waves  in  their  eag- 
erness to  escape.* 

The  mayor  of  Rye  made  appeals  to  the  queen  for  help,  and 
especially  for  provisions,  which  from  time  to  time  ran  short, 
and  the  help  was  at  once  given.  Collections  were  made  for 
the  relief  of  the  destitute  refugees  in  many  of  the  churches  in 
England,  as  well  as  Scotland  ;f  and,  among  others,  we  find 
the  refugee  Flemings  at  Sandwich  giving  out  of  their  slender 
means  "  a  benefaction  to  the  poor  Frenchmen  who  have  left 
their  country  for  conscience'  sake.  "J 

These  landings  continued  for  many  years.  The  people 
came  flying  from  various  parts  of  France  and  Flanders  — 
cloth-makers  from  Bruges  and  Antwerp,  lace-makers  from 
Valenciennes,  cambric-makers  from  Cambray,  glass-makers 
from  Paris,  stuff- weavers  from  Meaux,  merchants  and  trades- 
men from  Rouen,  and  shipwrights  and  mariners  from  Dieppe 
and  Havre.  As  the  fugitives  continued  to  land,  they  Avere 
sent  inland  as  speedily  as  possible,  to  make  room  for  new- 
comers, as  the  hovisehold  accommodation  of  the  little  towns 
along  the  English  coast  was  but  limited.  From  Rye,  many 
proceeded  to  London  to  join  their  countrymen  who  had  set- 
tled there ;  others  went  forward  to  Canterbury,  to  South- 
ampton, to  Norwich,  and  the  other  towns  wdiere  Walloon 
congregations  had  already  been  established.  A  body  of  them 
settled  at  Winchelsea,  an  ancient  town,  formerly  of  much  im- 
portance,§  on  the  south  coast,  though  now  left  high  and  dry 
inland. 

*  \V.  DuRRANT  Cooper — Paper  in  Sussex  Archwologkal  Collections,  vol. 
xiii.,p.  179,  entitled  "The  Protestant  Refugees  in  Sussex." 

t  James  Melville,  in  his  diary,  mentions  that  subscriptions  wore  raised  for 
French  Protestants  in  indigent  circumstances  in  1575  ;  and  Calderwood  has 
a  similar  notice  in  1G22.  J  Borough  Records  of  Sandwich,  1572. 

§  It  will  be  remembered  that  Thackeray,  w  ho  was  fond  of  visiting  Winchel- 
sea, laid  the  early  scenes  of  his  novel  of  Denis  Duval  among  the  French  im- 
migrants of  the  place.  Winclielsea,  now  a  village  amid  ruins,  was  once  a 
flourishing  sea-port.  The  remains  of  the  vaults  and  warehouses  where  the 
merchants' goods  were  stored  are  still  pointed  out,  and  the  wharves  may  still 
be  seen  where  ships  discharged  their  cargoes,  lying  with  their  broadsides  to 
the  shore.  The  place  is  now  some  miles  from  the  sea,  and  sheep  and  cattle 
graze  over  a  wide  extent  of  marsh-land,  over  which  the  tid.'  formerly  washed. 


ARRI VA LS  AT  D0\ 'ER.  0 1 

Many  fugitives  also  landed  at  Dover,  which  was  a  con- 
venient point  for  both  France  and  Flanders.  Some  of  the 
immigrants  passed  through  to  Canterbury  and  London,  while 
others  settled  permanently  in  the  place.  Early  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  a  census  was  taken  of  the  foreigners  residing 
in  Dover,  when  it  was  found  that  there  were  seventy-eight 
persons  "  which  of  late  came  out  of  France  by  reason  of  the 
troubles  there."  The  description  of  them  is  interesting,  as 
showing  the  classes  to  which  the  exiles  principally  belonged. 
There  were  two  "preachers  of  God's  Word;"  three  physi- 
cians and  surgeons ;  two  advocates ;  two  esquires ;  three 
merchants ;  two  schoolmasters ;  thirteen  drapers,  grocers, 
brewers,  butchers,  and  other  trades  ;  twelve  mariners ;  eight 
weavers  and  wool-combers ;  twenty-five  widows, "  makers  of 
bone-lace  and  spinners ;"  two  maidens ;  one  woman,  desig- 
nated as  the  wife  of  a  shepherd  ;  one  button-maker  ;  one  gar- 
dener ;  and  one  undescribed  male.*  There  w^ere  at  the  same 
time  settled  in  Dover  thirteen  Walloon  exiles,  of  whom  five 
were  merchants,  three  mariners,  and  the  others  of  difierent 
trades. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  body  of  Flemings  who  had  first  set- 
tled at  Sandwich  began  to  show  signs  of  considerable  pros- 
perity. The  local  authorities  had  readily  responded  to  the 
wishes  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  did  what  she  required.  They 
appointed  two  markets  to  be  held  weekly  for  the  sale  of  their 
cloths,  in  making  which  we  very  shortly  find  them  busily  oc- 
cupied. When  Archbishop  Parker  visited  Sandwich  in  1563, 
he  took  notice  of"  the  French  and  Dutche,  or  both,"  who  had 
settled  in  the  town,  and  wrote  to  a  friend  at  court  that  the 
refugees  were  as  godly  on  the  Sabbath  days  as  they  Avere  in- 
dustrious on  week-days ;  observing  that  such  "  j^rofitable  and 
gentle  strangers  ought  to  be  welcome,  and  not  to  be  grudged 
at."f 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  Flemings,  Sandwich  had  been  a 
poor  and  decayed  place.    It  was  originally  a  town  of  cousider- 

*  Dom.  Co/.— James  I.,  1622.  t  Stiype's  Parker,  p.  139. 


92  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

able  importance,  and  one  of  the  Cinque  Ports.  But  when 
the  River  Stour  became  choked  with  silt,  the  navigation,  on 
which  it  had  before  depended,  was  so  seriously  impeded  that 
its  trade  soon  fell  into  decay,  and  the  inhabitants  were  re- 
duced to  great  poverty.  No  sooner,  however,  had  the  first 
colony  of  Flemings,  above  four  hundred  in  number,  settled 
there  under  the  queen's  protection,  than  the  empty  houses 
were  occupied,  the  town  became  instinct  with  new  life,  and 
was  more  than  restored  to  its  former  importance.  The  arti- 
sans set  up  their  looms,  and  began  diligently  to  work  at  the 
manufacture  of  sayes,  bayes,  and  other  kinds  of  cloth,  which 
met  with  a  ready  sale,  the  London  merchants  resorting  to  the 
bi-weekly  markets,  and  buying  up  the  goods  at  remunerative 
prices. 

The  native  population  also  shared  in  the  general  prosper- 
ity, learning  from  the  strangers  the  art  of  cloth-making,  and 
becoming  competitors  w4th  them  for  the  trade.  Indeed,  be- 
fore many  years  had  passed,  the  townspeople,  forgetful  of  the 
benefits  they  owed  to  the  foreign  artisans,  became  jealous, 
and  sought  to  impose  upon  them  special  local  taxes.  On  this 
the  Flemings  memorialized  the  queen,  who  again  stood  their 
friend ;  and,  on  her  intercession,  the  corporation  Avere  at 
length  induced  to  relieve  them  of  the  unjust  burden.*  At 
this  time  they  constituted  about  one  third  of  the  entire  pop- 
ulation of  the  town;  and  when  Queen  Elizabeth  visited  Sand- 
wich in  1573,  it  is  recorded  that  "against  the  school-house, 
upon  the  new  turfed  wall,  and  upon  a  scafibld  made  upon 

*  The  memorial,  which  is  still  preserved  among  the  town  records,  con- 
cludes with  the  following  prayer:  "Which  condition  (viz.,  the  local  imposi- 
tion on  the  foreign  settlers)  is  suche,  that  by  means  of  their  chardges  they 
should  finally  be  secluded  and  syndered  from  the  hability  of  those  manifolde 
and  necessary  contributions  which  yet  in  this  our  exile  are  practised  amongst 
us,  as  well  towards  the  maintenance  of  the  ministry  of  God's  word  as  lyke- 
wise  in  the  sustentation  of  our  poore,  besydes  the  chardges  first  above  re- 
hearsed :  pcrformyng  therefore  our  foresayde  humble  petition,  we  shall  be 
the  more  moved  to  directe  our  warmest  ]>rayers  to  our  mercyfull  God,  that  of 
his  heavenly  grace  he  will  beatify  your  common  weall  more  and  more, 
grauntynge  to  ytt  liis  spiritual  and  temi)oral  blessyngs,  which  he  gracefully 
powreth  uj)])on  them  that  showc  favour  and  consolation  to  the  poorc  afflicted 
straungcrs." — Boys'  IJistojy  0/  Sandwich,  p.  744. 


THE  FLEMINGS  A  T  SAND  WICII.  93 

the  wall  of  the  school-house  yard,  were  divers  children,  to 
the  number  of  a  hundred  or  six  score,  all  spinning  of  fine  bag 
yarn,  a  thing  well  liked  of  both  her  Majesty  and  of  the  No- 
bility and  Ladies."* 

The  Protestant  exiles  at  Sandwich  did  not,  however,  con- 
fine themselves  to  cloth-making,f  but  engaged  in  various  oth- 
er branches  of  industry.  Some  of  them  were  millers,  who 
erected  the  first  wind-mills  near  the  town  in  which  they  plied 
their  trade.  Two  potters  from  Delft  began  the  pottery  man- 
ufacture. Others  were  smiths,  brewers,  hatmakers,  carj^en- 
ters,  or  shipwrights.  Thus  trade  and  population  increased  ; 
new  buildings  arose  on  all  sides,  until  Sandwich  became  al- 
most transformed  into  a  Flemish  town  ;  and  to  this  day, 
though  fallen  again  into  comparative  decay,  the  quaint,  for- 
eign-looking aspect  of  the  place  never  fails  to  strike  the  mod- 
ern visitor  with  surprise. 

Among  other  branches  of  industry  introduced  by  the  Flem- 
ings at  Sandwich,  that  of  gardening  is  worthy  of  notice.  The 
people  of  Flanders  had  long  been  famous  for  their  horticul- 
ture, and  one  of  the  first  things  which  the  foreign  settlers  did 
on  arriving  in  the  place  was  to  turn  to  account  the  excellent 
qualities  of  the  soil  in  the  neighborhood,  so  well  suited  for 
gardening  purposes.  Though  long- before  practiced  by  the 
monks,  gardening  had  become  almost  a  lost  art  in  England  ; 
and  it  is  said  that  Katherine,  queen  of  Henry  VIII.,  unable  to 
obtain  a  salad  for  her  dinner  in  all  England,  had  her  table 
supplied  from  the  Low  Countries.J     The  first  Flemish  gar- 

*  Antiquarian  Repertory,  iv.,  65. 

f  The  principal  trades  which  they  followed  were  connected  with  the  man- 
ufac-titre  of  cloths  of  different  kinds.  Thus,  of  351  Flemish  householders 
resident  in  Sandwich  in  1582,  8G  were  bay-makers,  74  b;iy-weavers,  17 
fullers,  2-4  linsey-wolsey  weavers,  and  24  wool-combers. 

X  Vegetables  were  formerly  so  scarce  that  they  were  salted  down.  Even 
in  the  sixteenth  century  a  cabbage  from  Holland  was  deemed  an  acceptable 
present  (Fox's  Life  of  James  II.,  205).  Hull  then  carried  on  a  thriving  im- 
port trade  in  cabbages  and  onions.  The  rarity  of  vegetables  in  the  country 
may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  in  1595  a  sum  equal  to  twenty  shillings 
was  paid  at  that  port  for  six  cabbages  and  a  few  carrots  by  the  purveyor  for 
the  Clifford  family  (Whitakkr — Historij  of  Craven,  321).  Hartlib,  writing 
in  1650,  says  that  an  old  man  then  living  remembered  "the  first  gardener 


94  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

dens  proved  liiglily  successful.  Tlie  cabbage,  carrots,  and 
celery  produced  by  the  foreigners  met  Avitli  so  ready  a  sale, 
and  Avere  so  mucli  in  demand  in  London  itself,  that  a  body 
of  gardeners  shortly  removed  from  Sandwich  and  settled  at 
Wandsworth,  Battersea,  and  Bermondsey,  where  many  of  the 
rich  garden-grounds  first  planted  by  the  Flemings  continue 
to  this  day  the  most  productive  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
metropolis. 

As  might  naturally  be  expected,  by  far  the  largest  propor- 
tion of  the  Protestant  exiles — Flemish  and  French — settled 
in  London — London,  the  world's  asylum — the  refuge  of  the 
persecuted  in  all  lands,  whether  for  race,  or  politics,  or  relig- 
ion— a  city  of  Celts,  Danes,  and  Saxons — of  Jews,  Germans, 
French,  and  Flemings,  as  well  as  of  English — an  aggregate 
of  men  of  all  European  countries,  and  probably  one  of  the 
most  composite  populations  to  be  found  in  the  world.  Large 
numbers  of  French,  Germans,  and  Flemings,  of  the  industri- 
ous classes,  had  already  taken  refuge  in  London  from  the  jjo- 
litical  troubles  which  had  long  raged  abroad.  About  the  be- 
ginning of  the  reign  of  Henry  VTIL  so  many  foreigners  had 
settled  in  the  western  parts  of  London  that  "  Tottenham  is 
turned  French"  passed  into  a  proverb  ;*  and  now  the  relig- 

who  came  into  Surrey  to  plant  cabbages  and  cauliflowers,  and  to  sow  turnips, 
carrots,  and  parsnips,  and  to  sow  early  pease — all  of  which  at  that  time  were 
great  wonders,  we  having  few  or  none  in  England  but  what  came  from  Hol- 
land or  Flanders."  It  is  also  supposed,  though  it  can  not  be  exactly  ascer- 
tained, that  the  Protestant  Walloons  introduced  the  cultivation  of  the  hop  in 
Kent,  bringing  slips  of  the  plant  with  them  from  Artois.     The  old  distich — 

"  Hops,  Reformation,  Bays,  and  Beer, 
Came  into  England  all  in  one  year"— 

marks  the  period  (about  1524)  when  the  first  English  hops  were  planted. 
Tiiere  is  a  plot  of  land  at  Bourne,  near  Canterbury,  where  there  is  known  to 
have  been  a  hop-plantation  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  Reginald  Scot,  the 
autlior  of  The  Perjite  I^latfonne  of  a  lloppe  Garden,  speaks  of  "  the  trade  of 
the  Flemminge"  (i.e.,  his  method  of  culture),  and  his  "ostes  at  Poppering" 
as  "a  profytable  patterne  and  a  nocessario  instruction  for  as  manie  as  shall 
have  to  doe  therein."  Another  kind  of  crop  introduced  by  the  Flemings  at 
Sandwich  was  canary-grass,  which  still  continues  to  be  grown  on  the  neigh- 
boring farms,  and  is  indeed  almost  peculiar  to  the  district.  It  may  be  add- 
ed that  to  this  day  the  "  Sandwich  celery"  maintains  its  reputation. 

*  Tottenham  !.s  turned  French. — About  the  beginning  of  Henry  VIII.  French 
mechanics  swarmed  in  England,  to  the  great  prejudice  of  English  .artisans. 


THE  FLEMINGS  IN  SOUTUWARK. 


ious  persecutions  which  raged  abroad  compelled  foreigners 
of  various  nations  to  take  refuge  in  London  in  still  greater 
numbers  than  at  any  former  ^icriod. 

Fortunately  for  London,  as  for  England,  the  men  who  now 
fled  thither  for  refuge  were  not  idle,  dissolute,  and  ignorant, 
but  jDcaceable,  gentle,  and  laborious.  Tliough  they  were 
poor,  they  were  not  pauperized,  but  were  thrifty  and  self- 
helping,  and,  above  all  things,  eager  in  their  desire  to  earn 
ail  honest  living.  They  were  among  the  most  skilled  and  in- 
telligent inhabitants  of  the  countries  which  had  driven  them 
forth.  Had  they  been  weak  men,  they  would  have  gone  with 
the  stream  as  others  did,  and  conformed ;  but  they  were  men 
with  convictions,  earnest  and  courageous,  and  ready  to  brave 
all  perils  in  their  determination  to  find  some  land  of  refuge 
in  whicli  they  might  be  permitted  to  worshij)  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience. 

Of  the  Flemings  and  French  Avho  settled  in  London,  the 
greater  part  congregated  in  special  districts,  for  the  con- 
venience of  carrying  on  their  trades  together.  Thus  a  large 
number  of  the  Flemings  settled  in  South Avark  and  Bermond- 
sey,  and  began  many  branches  of  industry  wdiich  continue 
t'lere  to  this  day,  Southwark  being  still  the  principal  manu- 
facturing district  of  London.  There  was  a  quarter  in  Ber- 
mondsey,  known  as  "  The  Borgeney,"  or  "  Petty  Burgundy," 
because  of  the  foreigners  avIio  inhabited  it.  Joiner's  Street, 
which  still  exists  in  name,  lay  in  the  district,  and  was  so 
called  because  of  its  being  almost  wholly  occupied  by  Flem- 
ish joiners,  who  were  skilled  in  all  kinds  of  carjDcntry.*  An- 
other branch  of  trade  begun  by  the  Flemings  m  Bcrmondsey 

whicli  caused  tlie  insurrection  in  London  on  Ill-Mayday,  1517. — England's 
Worthies  in  Church  and  State,  Lend.,  IG84,  p.  471. 

*  "At  St.  Olave's,  in  Southwark,  you  shall  learn,  among  the  joyners,  what 
inlayes  and  marquetrie  weare.  Inlaye  (as  the  word  imports)  is  a  laying  of 
coloured  wood  in  their  wainscot  works,  bedsteads,  cupboards,  chayres,  and  the 
like." — Bohon,  Elements  of  Armories,  IGIO. 

"The  Flemish  buryinpi-ground," appropriated  to  the  foreigners  as  a  place 
of  sepulture,  was  situated  near  the  south  end  of  London  Bridge.  It  is  now 
covered  by  the  approach  to  the  London  Bridge  Railway  Station. 


96        SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

was  the  manufacture  of  felts  or  liats.  Tanneries  and  brew- 
eries were  also  started  by  them,  and  carried  on  with  great 
success.  Henry  Leek,  originally  Hoek  or  Hook,*  from  Wesel, 
was  one  of  the  principal  brewers  of  his  time,  to  whose  philan- 
thropic bequest  Southwark  owes  the  foundation  of  the  ex- 
cellent free-school  of  St.  Olave's — one  of  the  best  of  its  class. 

Another  important  settlement  of  the  Flemings  was  that  at 
Bow,  where  they  established  dye-works  on  a  large  scale. 
Before  their  time,  white  cloth  of  English  manufacture  was 
usually  sent  abroad  to  be  dyed,  after  which  it  Avas  reimport- 
ed  and  sold  as  Flemish  cloth.  The  best  known  among  the 
early  dyers  were  Peter  de  Croix  and  Dr.  Kepler,  the  latter  of 
whom  established  the  first  dye-work  in  England ;  and  cloth 
of  "  Bow  dye"  soon  became  famous.  Another  body  of  the 
refugees  settled  at  Wandsworth,  and  began  several  branches 
of  industry,  such  as  the  manufacture  of  felts,  and  the  making 
of  brass  plates  for  culinary  utensils,  which  Aubrey  says  they 
*'  kept  a  mystery."  One  Fromantel  introduced  the  manufac- 
ture of  pendulum  or  Dutch  clocks,  Avhich  shortly  came  into 
common  use.  At  JVIortlake  the  French  exiles  began  the 
manufacture  of  arras,  and  at  Fulham  of  tapestry.  The  art 
of  printing  pajDer-hangings  was  introduced  by  some  artisans 
from  Rouen,  where  it  had  been  originally  practiced ;  and 
many  other  skilled  workers  in  metal  settled  in  diflerent  parts 
of  the  metropolis,  as  cutlers,  jewelers,  and  makers  of  mathe- 
matical instruments,  in  Avhich  the  French  and  Flemish  Avork- 
men  then  greatly  excelled.f 

The  employment  given  to  the  foreign  artisans  seems  to 

*  Many  of  tlio  foreigners  adopted  names  of  English  sound,  so  that  it  is 
now  difficult  to  trace  them  amid  the  population  in  which  they  have  become 
merged.  Tims,  in  the  parish  church  of  AUhallows.  Barking,  we  find  the 
monument  of  a  distinguished  Fleming,  one  Koger  Ilacstreclit,  who  clianged 
his  name  to  James.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  family  of  James,  of  Ightham 
Court,  in  Kent. 

t  A  French  refugee,  named  Briot,  was  the  first  to  introduce  the  coining- 
press,  which  Avas  a  French  invention,  into  England.  He  was  appointed  chief 
engraver  to  tlu'  Mint ;  and  forty  years  after  his  time,  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
II.,  anotlitr  Froiichman,  named  Jilondeau,  was  selected  to  superintend  the 
stamping  of  our  English  money. 


THE  FOREIGN  MERCHANTS  IN  LONDON.  97 

have  excited  considerable  discontent  among  the  London 
tradesmen,  who  from  time  to  time  beseeched  the  interfer- 
ence of  the  corporations  and  of  Parliament.  Thus,  in  1576, 
we  find  the  London  shoemakers  jaetitioning  for  a  commission 
of  inquiry  as  to  the  alien  shoemakers  who  were  carrying  on 
their  trade  m  the  metropolis.  In  1586,  the  London  appren- 
tices raised  a  riot  in  the  city  against  the  foreignei'S ;  and 
several  youths  of  the  Plasterer's  Company  were  apprehended 
and  committed  to  Newgate  by  order  of  the  queen  and  coun- 
cil. A  few  years  later,  in  1592,  the  London  freemen  and  shop- 
keepers complained  to  Parliament  that  the  strangers  were 
spoiling  their  trades,  and  a  bill  was  brought  in  for  the  pur- 
pose of  restraining  them.  The  bill  was  strongly  supported 
by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who  complained  bitterly  of  the  stran- 
gers ;  but  it  was  opposed  by  Cecil  and  the  queen's  ministers ; 
and  though  it  passed  the  Commons,  it  failed  through  the  dis- 
solution of  Parliament,  so  that  the  refugees  were  left  to  the 
enjoyment  of  their  former  protection  and  hospitality.* 

Many  of  the  foreigners  established  themselves  as  merchants 
in  the  city,  and  soon  became  known  as  leading  men  in  com- 
mercial affairs.  Several  of  them  had  already  been  distin- 
guished as  merchants  in  their  own  country,  and  they  brought 
with  them  a  spirit  and  enterprise  which  infused  quite  a  new 
life  into  London  business.  Among  the  leading  foreign  mer- 
chants of  Elizabeth's  time  we  recognize  the  names  of  Houblon, 
Palavicino,  De  Malines,  Corsellis,  Van  Peine,  Tryan,  Buskell, 
Cursini,  De  Best,  and  Cotett.  And  that  they  prospered  by 
the  exercise  of  their  respective  callings  maybe  inferred  from 
the  circumstance  that  when,  in  1588,  Queen  Elizabeth  pro- 
ceeded to  raise  a  loan  in  the  city  by  voluntary  subscriptions, 
thirty-eight  of  the  foreign  merchants  subscribed  among  them- 
selves £5000  in  sums  of  £100  and  upward. 

The  accounts  given  of  the  numbers  of  the  exiles  from  Flan- 
ders and  France  who  then  settled  in  London  are  very  imper- 
fect, yet  they  enable  us  to  form  some  idea  of  the  extensive 
*  Burn — History  of  the  Protestant  Refugees,T^.  10. 

G 


98        SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

character  of  the  immigration.  Thus,  a  return  of  the  pojjula- 
tion,  made  in  1571,  the  year  before  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, shows  that  in  the  city  of  London  alone  (exclusive 
of  the  large  number  of  strangers  settled  in  Southwark,  at 
Bow,  and  outside  the  liberties)  there  were,  of  foreigners  be- 
longing to  the  English  Church,  889;  to  the  Dutch,  French, 
and  Italian  churches,  1763  J  certified  by  their  elders,  but  not 
presented  by  the  wards,  1828 ;  not  yet  joined  to  any  particu- 
lar church,  2663  ;  "  strangers  that  do  confesse  themselves  that 
their  comyng  hether  was  onlie  to  seek  worek  for  their  lyv- 
inge,"  2561 ;  or  a  total  of  9Y04  persons.*  From  another  re- 
turn of  about  the  same  date,  in  which  the  numbers  are  difier- 
ently  given,  we  obtain  some  idea  of  the  respective  nationali- 
ties of  the  refugees.  Out  of  the  4594  strangers  then  return- 
ed as  resident  in  the  city  of  London,  3643  are  described  as 
Dutch  {i.  e.,  Flemings) ;  657  French  ;  233  Italians  ;  and  53 
SjDaniards  and  Portuguese. f 

That  the  foreign  artisans  continued  to  resort  to  England  in 
increasing  numbers  is  apparent  from  a  farther  census  taken 
in  1621,  from  which  it  appears  that  there  were  then  10,000 
strangers  in  the  city  of  London  alone,  carrying  on  121  differ- 
ent trades.  Of  1343  persons  whose  occupations  are  specified, 
there  were  found  to  be  11  preachers,  16  schoolmasters,  349 
weavers,  183  merchants,  148  tailors,  64  sleeve-makers,  43  shoe- 
makers, 39  dyers,  37  brewers,  35  jewelers,  25  diamond-cutters, 
22  cutlers,  20  goldsmiths,  20  joiners,  15  clock-makers,  12  silk- 
throwsters,  10  glass-makers,  besides  hemp-dressers,  thread- 
makers,  button-makers,  coopers,  engravers,  gun-makers,  paint- 
ers, smiths,  watch-makers,  and  other  skilled  craftsmen.  J 

Numerous  other  settlements  of  the  refugees  took  place 

*  State  Papers,  Dom. — Elizabeth,  vol.  84,  anno  1571.  It  appears  from  the 
Bishop  of  London's  certificate  of  1567  (four  years  before),  that  the  number 
of  persons  of  foreign  birth  then  settled  in  London  was  4851,  and  512  French. 
There  were  at  the  same  time  in  London  36  Scots,  128  Italians,  23  Portuguese, 
54  Spaniards,  10  Venetians,  2  Blackamoors,  and  2  Greeks. 

t  State  Papers,  Dom. — Elizabeth,  vol.  82,  anno  1571. 

X  Lists  of  Foreign  Protestants  and  Aliens  resident  in  England,  1618-88. 
Edited  by  William  Durrant  Coojier,  F.S.A.,  Camden  Society's  Papers,  1862. 


FOREIGN  MERCHANTS  IN  NORWICH.  99 

throughout  England,  more  particularly  in  the  southern  coun- 
ties, "  The  foreign  manufacturers,"  says  Hasted, "  chose  their 
situations  with  great  judgment,  distributing  themselves  with 
the  queen's  license  throughout  England,  so  as  not  to  interfere 
too  much  with  each  other."*  One  of  the  most  important  of 
such  settlements  was  that  formed  at  Norwich,  where  they 
founded  and  carried  on  many  important  branches  of  trade. 

Although  Norwich  had  been  originally  indebted  mainly  to 
foreign  artisans  for  its  commercial  and  manufacturing  import- 
ance, the  natives  of  this  city  w^ere  among  the  first  to  turn 
upon  their  benefactors.  The  local  guilds,  in  their  usual  nar- 
row spirit,  passed  stringent  regulations  directed  against  the 
foreign  artisans,  who  had  originally  taught  them  their  trade. 
The  jealousy  of  the  native  workmen  was  also  roused,  and 
riots  were  stirred  up  against  the  Flemings,  many  of  whom 
left  Norwich  for  Leeds  and  Wakefield  in  Yorkshire,  where 
they  prosecuted  the  woolen-manufacture  free  from  the  restric- 
tions of  the  trades-unions,f  while  others  left  the  country  for 
Holland,  to  carry  on  their  trades  in  the  free  towns  of  that 
country. 

The  consequence  was  that  Norwich,  left  to  its  native  enter- 
prise and  industry,  gradually  fell  into  a  state  of  stagnation 
and  decay.  Its  population  rapidly  diminished  ;  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  houses  stood  empty  ;  riots  among  the  distress- 
ed workpeople  were  of  frequent  occurrence  ;  and  it  was  even 
mooted  in  Parliament  whether  the  place  should  not  be  razed. 
Under  such  circumstances,  the  corporation  determined  to  call 
to  their  aid  the  skill  and  industry  of  the  exiled  Protestant 
artisans  now  flocking  into  the  country.  In  the  year  1564,  a 
deputation  of  the  citizens,  headed  by  the  mayor,  waited  on 

*  Hasted,  History  of  Kent,  x.,  p.  160. 

t  In  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.  .an  attempt  was  made  by  a  body  of  Flemings 
to  establish  the  manufacture  of  felt  hats  at  Norwich.  To  evade  the  fiscal 
regulations  of  the  guilds,  they  settled  outside  the  boundaries  of  the  city.  But 
an  act  having  been  passed  enjoining  that  hats  were  only  to  be  manufactured 
in  some  city,  borough,  or  market-town,  the  Flemings  were  thereby  brought 
under  the  bondafje  of  the  guilds  ;  the  making  of  hats  by  them  was  suppress* 
ed ;  and  the  Flemish  hat-makers  left  the  neighborhood. 


100  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

the  Duke  of  Norfolk  at  his  palace  in  the  city,  and  asked  his 
assistance  in  obtaining  a  settlement  in  the  place  of  a  body  of 
Flemish  workmen.  The  duke  used  his  influence  with  this 
object,  and  succeeded  in  inducing  some  300  Dutch  and  Wal- 
loon families  to  settle  in  the  place  at  his  charge,  and  to  carry 
on  their  trades  under  a  license  granted  by  the  queen. 

The  exiles  were  very  shortly  enabled  not  only  to  maintain 
themselves  by  their  industry,  but  to  restore  the  city  to  more 
than  its  former  prosperity.  The  houses  which  had  been 
standing  empty  were  again  tenanted,  the  native  population 
Avere  again  fully  employed,  and  the  adjoining  districts  shared 
in  the  general  prosperity.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years,  as 
many  as  3000  of  the  foreign  workmen  had  settled  in  the  city, 
and  many  entirely  new  branches  of  trade  were  introduced 
and  successfully  carried  on  by  them.  Besides  the  manufac- 
ture of  sayes,  bayes,  serges,  arras,  mouchade,  and  bombazines, 
they  introduced  the  striping  and  flowering  of  silks  and  dam- 
asks, which  shortly  became  one  of  the  most  thriving  branches 
of  trade  in  the  place.  The  manufacture  of  beaver  and  felt 
hats,  before  imported  from  abroad,  was  also  successfully  es- 
tablished. One  Anthony  Solen  introduced  the  art  of  print- 
ing, for  which  he  was  awarded  the  freedom  of  the  city.  Two 
potters  from  Antwerp,  Jasper  Andries  and  Jacob  Janson, 
started  a  pottery,  though  in  a  very  humble  way.*  Other 
Flemings  introduced  the  art  of  gardening  in  the  neighbor- 

*  Stowe  makes  the  following  reference  to  these  men  in  his  Survey  of  Lon- 
don :  "  About  the  year  1567  Jasper  Andries  and  Jacob  Janson,  potters,  came 
away  from  Antwerp  to  avoid  the  persecution  there,  and  settled  themselves  in 
Norwich,  where  they  followed  their  trade,  making  galley  paving-tiles  and 
apothecaries'  vessels,  and  others,  very  artificially.  Anno  1570  they  removed 
to  London.  They  set  forth,  in  a  petition  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  that  they  were 
tlie  first  that  brought  in  and  exercised  tlie  said  science  in  this  realm,  and 
were  at  great  charges  before  they  could  find  the  materials  in  the  realm. 
They  bcseeched  her,  in  recompense  of  their  great  cost  and  charges,  that  she 
would  grant  them  house-room  in  or  without  the  liberties  of  London  by 
the  water-side."  The  brothers  Elers,  afterward,  in  1688,  began  the  manu- 
facture of  a  better  sort  of  pottery  in  Staffordshire.  They  were  natives  of 
Nuremberg  in  Germany.  In  1710  they  removed  from  Staffordshire,  and  set- 
tled in  Lambeth  or  Chelsea.  To  these  brothers  is  ascribed  the  invention  of 
the  salt-glaze. 


CONSPIRACY  AGAINST  THE  FLEMINGS.  101 

hood,  and  culinary  stuffs  became  more  plentiful  in  Norwich 
than  in  any  other  town  or  city  in  England.  The  general  re- 
sult was  abundant  employment,  remunerative  trade,  cheap 
food,  and  great  prosperity;  Bishop  Parkhurst  declaring  his 
persuasion  that  "these  blessings  from  God  have  happened 
by  reason  of  the  godly  exiles  who  were  here  so  kindly  har-  , 
bored." 

But  not  so  very  kindly  after  all.  As  before,  the  sour  na- 
tive heart  grew  jealous ;  and  notwithstanding  the  admitted 
prosperity  of  the  place,  the  local  population  began  to  mutter 
discontent  against  the  foreigners,  who  had  been  mainly  its 
cause.  Like  Jeshurun,  the  people  had  waxed  fat  and  they 
kicked.  It  is  true,  the  numbers  of  Dutch,  French,  and  Wal- 
loons in  Norwich  had  become  very  considerable,  by  reason 
of  the  continuance  of  the  persecutions  abroad,  which  drove 
them  across  the  Channel  in  increasing  numbers.  But  who 
so  likely  to  give  them  succor  and  shelter  as  their  own  coun- 
trymen, maintaining  themselves  by  the  exercise  of  their  skill 
and  industry  iji  the  English  towns  ?  The  opposition  which 
displayed  itself  against  the  foreign  artisans  is  even  said  to 
have  been  encouraged  by  some  of  the  "  gentlemen"  of  the 
neighborhood,  who  m  15*70  set  on  foot  a  conspiracy,  with  the 
object  of  expelling  them  by  force  from  the  city  and  realm. 
But  the  conspiracy  was  discovered  in  time.  Its  leader  and 
instigator,  John  Throgmorton,  was  seized  and  executed,  with 
two  others ;  and  the  strangers  were  thenceforward  permitted 
to  pursue  their  respective  callings  in  peace. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  shortcomings  of  Elizabeth 
in  other  respects,  she  certainly  proved  herself  the  steadfast 
friend  and  protector  of  the  Protestant  exiles  from  first  to 
last.  Her  conduct  with  reference  to  the  Norwich  conspira- 
cy clearly  shows  the  spirit  which  influenced  her.  In  a  letter 
written  by  her  from  the  palace  at  Greenwich,  dated  the  19th 
of  March,  1570,  she  strongly  expostulated  with  the  citizens 
of  Norwich  against  the  jealousy  entertained  by  them  against 
the  authors  of  their  prosperity.     She  reminded  them  of  the 


102  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

advantages  they  had  derived  fi-om  the  settlement  among 
them  of  so  many  skilled  artisans,  who  were  inhabiting  the 
houses  which  had  before  stood  desolate,  and  were  furnishing 
emj^loyment  to  large  numbers  of  persons  who  must  other- 
wise have  remained  unemployed.  She  therefore  entreated 
and  enjoined  them  to  continue  their  favors  "  to  the  poor  men 
of  the  Dutch  nation,  who,  seeing  the  persecution  lately  begun 
in  their  country  for  the  trewe  religion,  hath  fledd  into  this 
realm  for  succour,  and  be  now  placed  in  the  city  of  Norwich, 
and  hath  hitherto  been  favourablye  and  jintely  ordered, 
which  the  Queen's  Majestic,  as  a  mercifuU  and  religious 
Prince,  doth  take  in  very  good  part,  praeing  you  to  continue 
your  favour  unto  them  so  long  as  they  shall  lyve  emongste 
you  quyetlye  and  obedyently  to  God's  trewe  religion,  and  to 
Her  Majesty's  lawes,  for  so  one  chrystian  man  (in  charitie)  is 
bound  to  help  another,  especially  them  who  do  sufier  afflix- 
ion  for  the  gospelle's  sake."* 

*  The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  document  in  the  State  Paper  Office  (Dom. 
Eliz.,  1561),  giving  an  account  of  "the  benefite  receyved  by  the  strangers  in 
Norwich  for  the  space  of  tenne  yeres. "  Several  passages  of  the  paper  have 
been  obliterated  by  age  : 

"  7«  primis,  They  brought  a  grete  comoditie  thether — viz.,  the  making  of 
bayes,  moucades,  grograynes,  all  sorts  of  tufts,  &c.— w'^'^  were  not  made  there 
before,  whereby  they  do  not  onely  set  on  worke  their  owne  people,  but  [do 
also]  set  on  worke  o'  owne  people  w^Hn  the  cittie,  as  alsoe  a  grete  nomber  of 
people  nere  xx''  myles  aboute  the  cittie,  to  the  grete  relief  of  the  [poorer]  sorte 
there. 

"  Iteyn,  By  their  means  o''-  cittie  [is  well  inhabited,  o-"]  decayed  houses  re- 
ediiied  &  repaired  that  [were  in  rewyn  and  more  wolde  be].  And  now  good 
rents  [are]  paide  for  the  same. 

''Item,  The  marchants  by  their  comoditi[es  have]  and  maye  have  grete 
trade  as  well  w'^in  the  realme  as  w'^oute  the  [realme],  being  in  good  cstima- 
con  in  all  places. 

•'Item,  It  cannot  be,  but  whereas  a  nomber  of  people  be  but  the  one  re- 
ceyve  comoditie  of  the  other  as  well  of  the  cittie  as  men  of  the  countric. 

"■Item,  They  be  contributors  to  all  paym",  as  subsidies,  taskes,  watches, 
contribusions,  mynisters'  wagis,  etc. 

''Item,  O''-  owne  people  do  practice  &  make  suche  comodities  as  the  stran- 
gers do  make,  whereby  the  youthe  is  set  on  worke  and  kept  from  idlenes. 

"  Itevi,  They  digge"&  delve  a  nomber  of  acres  of  grounde,  &  do  soweflaxe 
&  do  make  it  out  in  lynnen  clotlie,  w^''  set  many  on  worke. 

"  Item,  They  digge  &  dclvo  a  grete  quantitic  of  grounde  for  rootes,  [w''''] 
is  a  grete  succor  &  sustenance  for  the  [pore],  both  for  themselves  as  for  all 
others  of  cittie  and  countrie. 


yi:  I K  IND  us  TRIES  ESTABLISHED.  103 

A  census  was  shortly  after  taken  of  the  foreigners  settled 
in  Norwich,  when  it  was  ascertained  that  they  amounted  to 
about  4000,  including  women  and  children;  and  that  they 
were  effectually  protected  in  the  exercise  of  their  respective 
callings,  and  continued  to  prosper,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
circumstance  that,  when  the  numbers  were  again  taken,  about 
ten  years  later,  it  was  found  that  the  foreign  community  had 
increased  to  4679  persons. 

It  would  occupy  too  much  space  to  enter  into  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  settlement  of  the  industrious  strangers  through- 
out the  country,  and  to  describe  the  various  branches  of 
manufacture  which  they  introduced  in  addition  to  those  al- 
ready described.  "  The  persecution  for  religion  in  Brabant 
and  Flanders,"  says  Hasted,  "  communicated  to  all  the  Prot- 
estant parts  of  Europe  the  paper,  woollen  and  other  valuable 
manufactures  of  Flanders  and  France,  almost  peculiar  at  that 
time  to  these  countries,  and  till  then  in  vain  practised  else- 
where."* Although  the  manufiacture  of  cloth  had  already 
made  some  progress  in  England,  only  the  coarser  sorts  were 
produced,  the  best  being  imported  from  abroad  ;  and  it  was 
not  until  the  settlement  among  us  of  the  Flemish  weavers 
that  this  branch  of  industry  became  one  of  national  import- 
ance. They  spread  themselves  through  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages in  the  west  of  England,  as  well  as  throughout  the  north, 
and  wherever  the  woolen  weavers  set  up  their  looms  they 
carried  on  a  prosperous  trade,  f     Among  other  places  in  the 

"7<e7n,  They  live  holy  of  themselves  w'l'out  [o'.  chardge],  and  do  begge  of 
no  man,  &  do  sustayne  [all  their  owne]  poore  people. 

"  And  to  conclude,  they  for  the  [moste  pte  feare]  God  &  diligently  &  labo- 
riously attende  upon  their  several  occupations,  they  obay  all  maiestratis  &  all 
{.'ood  lawes  &  ordynances,  they  live  peaceblie  amonge  themselves  &  towards 
all  men,  &  we  thinke  C  cittie  happy  to  enioye  them." 

*  Hasted,  History  of  Kent,  x.,  p.  160. 

f  Fuller  specifies  the  following  textile  manufactures  as  having  been  estab- 
lished by  the  immigrants : 

In  Norwich,  cloths,  fustians,  etc.        In  Gloucestershire  >     ,    , 

' "  Sudbury,  baizes.  ' '  Worcestershire    ) 

"  Colchester,  sayes  and  serges  "  Wales,  Welsh  friezes. 

"  Kent,  Kentish  broad-cloths..  "  Westmoreland,  Kendal  cloth. 

"  Devonshire,  kerseys.  "  Lancashire,  coatings  or  cottons. 


104  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

west,  they  settled  at  Worcester,  Evesham,  Droitwitch,  Kid- 
derminster, Stroud,  and  Glastonbury,*  In  the  east  they  set- 
tled at  Colchester,!  Hertford,  Stamford,  and  other  places.  In 
the  north  we  find  them  establishing  themselves  at  Manches- 
ter, Bolton,  and  Halifax,  where  they  made  "  coatings  ;"J  and 
at  Kendal,  where  they  made  cloth  caps  and  woolen  stock- 
ings. The  native  population  gradually  learned  to  practice 
the  same  branches  of  manufacture ;  new  sources  of  employ- 
ment were  opened  up  to  them ;  and  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,  England,  instead  of  depending  upon  foreigners  for  its 
supply  of  cloth,  was  not  only  able  to  produce  sufficient  for  its 
own  use,  but  to  export  the  article  in  considerable  quantities 
abroad. 

Other  Flemings  introduced  the  art  of  thread  and  lace  mak> 
ing.     A  body  of  them  who  settled  at  Maidstone  in  1567  ear- 


In  Yorkshire,  Halifax  cloths.  In  Berks     >  cloth 

"  Somerset,  Taunton  serges.  "  Sussex   ) 

"  Hants,  cloth. 

*  A  settlement  of  Flemish  woolen-weavers  took  place  at  Glastonbury  as 
early  as  1549,  through  the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  who  advanced 
them  money  to  buy  wool,  at  the  same  time  providing  them  with  houses  and 
small  allotments  of  land  from  the  domain  of  the  Abbey,  which  the  king  had 
granted  him.  After  the  fall  of  the  duke  the  weavers  were  protected  by  the 
Privy  Council,  and  many  documents  relating  to  them  are  to  be  found  in  the 
State  Taper  Office.— (Edwd.  VI.,  Dom.  xiii.,  71-77,  and  xiv.,  2-14  and  55.) 

t  Colchester  became  exceedingly  prosperous  in  consequence  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Flemish  artisans  there.  In  IGO'J  it  contained  as  many  as  1300 
Walloons  and  other  persons  of  foreign  parentage,  and  every  house  was  occu- 
pied. 

I  The  "coatings"  or  "cottons"  of  Lancashire  were  in  the  first  instance 
but  imitations  in  woolen  of  the  goods  known  on  the  Continent  by  that  name  ; 
the  importation  of  cotton  wool  from  the  Levant  having  only  begun,  and  that 
in  small  quantities,  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  "There 
is  one  fact,"  says  the  editor  of  the  Shuttkworth  Papers,  "which  seems  to 
show  that  the  Flemings,  after  their  immigration,  had  much  to  do  with  the 
fulling-mill  at  Manchester ;  for  its  ordinary  name  was  the  '  walken-milne' — 
wnfche  being  the  Flemish  name  for  a  fulling-mill.  So  ])ersistent  do  we  find 
this  name,  that  a  plot  of  land  occupied  by  a  mill  on  the  banks  of  the  Irk 
still  retains  its  old  name  of  the  Walker's  Croft  (i.  c,  the  fuller's  field  or 
ground),  and  in  the  earlier  Manchester  directories  the  fullers  were  styled 
'  walkers.'  " — Jlonse  and  Howe  Accounts  of  the  Shuttleworih  Family  (Chetham 
Society  Tapers,  185G-8),  p.  G37-8.  [The  name  of  Walker,  so  common  in 
Yorkshire,  Lancashire,  and  the  clothing  districts  of  the  west  of  England, 
doubtless  originated  in  this  calling,  which  was  followed  by  so  considerable  a 
portion  of  the  population.  ] 


NEW  IND  USTRIES  ESTA  BLISHEI).  105 

ried  on  the  thread  manufacture,  flax  .spun  for  the  thread-man 
being  still  known  there  as  "Dutch  work."  Some  lace-makers 
from  Alen9on  and  Valenciennes  settled  at  Cranfield,  in  Bed- 
fordshire, in  1568;  after  which  others  settled  at  Bucking- 
ham, Stony  Stratford,  and  Newport-Pagnell,  from  whence  the 
manufacture  gradually  extended  over  the  shires  of  Oxford, 
Northampton,  and  Cambridge.  About  the  same  time  the 
manufacture  of  bone-lace,  with  thread  obtained  from  Ant- 
werp, was  introduced  into  Devonshire  by  the  Flemish  exiles, 
who  settled  in  considerable  numbers  at  Honiton,  Colyton, 
and  other  places,  where  the  trade  continued  to  be  carried  on 
by  their  descendants  almost  to  our  own  time — the  Flemish 
and  French  names  of  Stocker,  Murch,  Spiller,  Genest,  May- 
nard,  Gerard,  Raymunds,  Rochett,  Kettel,  etc.,  being  still 
common  in  the  lace-towns  of  the  west. 

Besides  these  various  branches  of  textile  manufacture,  the 
immigrants  applied  themselves  to  mining,  working  in  metals, 
salt-making,  fish-curing,  and  other  arts,  in  which  they  w^ere 
much  better  skilled  than  the  English  then  were.  Thus  we 
find  a  body  of  them  from  the  neighborhood  of  Liege  estab- 
lishing themselves  at  Shotley  Bridge,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Newcastle-on-Tyne,  where  they  introduced  the  making  of 
steel,  and  became  celebrated  for  the  swords  and  edge-tools 
which  they  manufactured.  The  names  of  the  settlers,  some 
of  which  have  been  preserved — Ole,  Mohl,  Vooz,  etc. — indi- 
cate their  origin,  and  some  of  their  descendants  are  still  to  be 
found  residing  in  the  village,  under  the  names  ofOley,  Mole, 
and  such  like. 

Mr.  Spencer  read  a  paper  on  the  "  Manufacture  of  Steel" 
at  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association  at  Newcastle  in 
1863,  in  which  he  thus  referred  to  these  early  iron-workers: 

"  In  the  wall  of  an  old  two-story  dwelling-house,  the  original  materials  of 
which  are  hidden  under  a  coat  of  rough-cast,  there  still  exists  a  stone  above 
the  doorway  with  an  inscription  in  bad  German,  to  the  following  effect :  des. 

HERREN.   SECEN.  MACHET.  REICH.    OIIN.   ALLF.    SORC.   WAN.   DVZVGLEICII.    IN. 
DEINEM.     STAND.    TREVW.    VND-LLEISIC.    BIST.    VND.    DVEST.    WAS.    DIR.    BE- 


106  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

L»]i[LEN.  1ST.  1691,  of  which  the  following  is  a  free  translation,  showing  that 
the  original  importers  of  the  steel  manufacture  to  the  district  were  probubly 
good  Lutherans,  who  had  suffered  persecution  for  conscience'  sake:  ''The 
blessing  of  the  Lord  makes  rich  without  care,  so  long  as  you  are  industrious 
in  your  vocation,  and  do  what  is  ordered  you." 

There  is,  however,  a  much  earlier  reference  to  the  immi- 
grants in  the  parish  register  of  Ebchester  Church,  which  con- 
tains the  entry  of  a  baptism  in  1628  of  the  daughter  of  one 
IMathias  "Wrightson  Ole  or  Oley — the  name  indicating  a 
probable  marriage  of  the  grandfather  of  the  child  into  a  na- 
tive family  of  the  name  of  Wrightson,  and  thereby  marking 
the  third  generation  in  the  neighborhood. 

Another  body  of  skilled  workers  in  iron  and  steel  settled 
at  Sheffield  under  the  protection  of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury, 
on  condition  that  they  should  take  English  apprentices  and 
instruct  them  in  their  trade.  What  the  skill  of  the  Low 
Country  iron-workers  was  will  be  undei'stood  by  any  one  who 
has  seen  the  beautiful  specimens  of  ancient  iron-work  to  be 
met  with  in  Belgium,  as,  for  instance,  the  exquisite  iron  can- 
opy over  the  draw-well  in  front  of  the  cathedral  at  Antwerp, 
or  the  still  more  elaborate  iron  gates  inclosing  the  little  chap- 
els behind  the  high  altar  of  tlie  cathedral  of  St.  Bavon,  at 
Ghent.  Only  the  Nurembergers,  in  all  Germany,  could  then 
vie  with  the  Flemings  in  such  kind  of  work.  The  effects  of 
the  instruction  given  by  the  Flemish  artisans  to  their  Shef- 
field apprentices  were  soon  felt  in  the  impulse  which  the  im- 
provement of  their  manufactures  gave  to  the  trade  of  the 
town ;  and  Sheffield  acquired  a  reputation  for  its  productions 
in  steel  and  iron  which  it  retains  to  this  day. 

A  body  of  refugees  of  the  seafaring  class  established  them- 
selves at  Yarmouth  in  1568,  with  the  queen's  license,  and 
there  carried  on  the  business  of  fishing  with  great  success. 
Before  then,  the  fish  along  the  English  coasts  were  mostly 
caught  by  the  Dutch,  who  cured  them  in  Holland,  and  brought 
them  back  for  sale  in  the  Englisli  markets.  But  shortly  aft- 
er the  establishment  of  the  fishery  ?x  Yarmouth  by  the  Flem- 


RECLAMATION  OF  DROWNED  LANDS.  107 

ings,  the  home  demand  was  almost  entirely  supplied  by  their 
industry.  They  also  introduced  the  arts  of  salt-making  and 
herring-curing,  originally  a  Flemish  invention ;  and  the  trade 
gradually  extended  to  other  places,  and  furnished  employ- 
ment to  a  large  number  of  persons. 

By  the  enterprise  chiefly  of  the  Flemish  merchants  settled 
in  London,  a  scheme  was  set  on  foot  for  the  reclamation  of 
the  drowned  lands  in  Hatfield  Chase  and  the  great  level  of 
the  Fens,*  and  a  large  number  of  laborers  assembled  under 
Cornelius  Vermuyden  to  execute  the  necessary  works.  They 
were,  however,  a  very  different  class  of  men  from  the  modem 
"navvies,"  for  wherever  they  went  they  formed  themselves 
into  congregations,  erected  churches,  and  appointed  mmisters 
to  conduct  their  worship.  Upward  of  two  hundred  Flemish 
families  settled  on  the  land  reclaimed  by  them  in  the  Isle  of 
Axholm;  the  ships  which  brought  the  immigrants  up  the 
Humber  to  their  new  homes  being  facetiously  hailed  as  "  the 
navy  of  Tarshish."  The  reclaimers  afterward  prosecuted 
their  labors,  under  Vermuyden,  in  the  great  level  of  the  Fens, 
where  they  were  instrumental  in  recovering  a  large  extent 
of  drowned  land,  before  then  a  mere  watery  waste,  but  now 
among  the  richest  and  most  fertile  land  in  England.  In  short, 
wherever  the  refugees  settled  they  acted  as  so  many  mission- 
aries of  skilled  work,  exhibiting  the  best  practical  examples 
of  diligence,  industry,  and  thrift,  and  teaching  the  English 
people  in  the  most  effective  manner  the  beginnings  of  those 
various  industrial  arts  in  which  they  have  since  acquired  so 
much  distinction  and  wealth. 

Besides  the  numerous  settlements  of  the  foreigners  through- 
out England,  others  passed  over  into  Ireland,  and  settled  in 
Dublin,  Waterford,  Limerick,  Belfast,  and  other  towns.  Sir 
Henry  Sidney,  in  the  "  Memoir  of  his  Government  in  Ireland," 
written  in  1590,  thus  speaks  of  the  little  colony  of  refugees 
settled  at  Swords,  near  Dublin :  "  I  caused  to  plant  and  in- 
habit there  about  fourtie  families  of  the  Reformed  Churches 

*  Lives  of  the  Engineers,  i.,  15-65. 


108    '  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

of  the  Low  Countries,  flying  thence  for  religion's  sake,  in  one 
ruinous  town  called  Swords ;  and  truly,  sir,  it  would  have 
done  any  man  good  to  have  seen  how  diligently  they  wrought, 
how  they  re-edified  the  quite  spoiled  ould  castell  of  the  same 
town,  and  repayred  almost  all  the  same,  and  how  godlie  and 
cleanly  they,  their  Aviefs,  and  children  lived.  They  made  di- 
aper and  tickes  for  beddes,  and  other  good  stuffes  for  man's 
use ;  and  as  excellent  leather  of  deer  skynnes,  goat  and  sheep 
fells,  as  is  made  in  Southwarke."* 

In  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  James  I.  many  Flemings 
and  French  obtained  grants  of  naturalization  in  Ireland ;  and 
it  was  about  this  time  that  the  Derenzie  (now  De  Rinzy), 
Olfertson  (now  Olferts),  Vanhomrigh,  and  Vandeleur  fami- 
lies settled  in  that  country.  The  unsettled  state  of  Ireland 
was  not  encouraging  to  industry ;  nevertheless,  the  stran- 
gers seem  eventually  to  have  obtained  a  footing  and  made 
steady  progress. 

When  the  Earl  of  Strafibrd  was  appointed  chief  deputy  in 
the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  he  applied  himself  with  much  energy 
to  the  establishment  of  the  linen  manufacture ;  sending  to 
Holland  for  flax-seed,  and  inviting  Flemish  and  French  arti- 
sans to  settle  in  Ireland.  In  order  to  stimulate  the  new  indus- 
try, the  earl  himself  embarked  in  it,  and  expended  not  less 
than  £30,000  of  his  private  fortune  in  the  enterprise.  It  was 
afterward  made  one  of  the  grounds  of  his  impeachment  that 
''he  had  obstructed  the  industry  of  the  country  by  introduc- 
ing new  and  unknown  processes  into  the  manufacture  of 
flax."f  It  was  nevertheless  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  earl 
that  he  should  have  endeavored  to  improve  the  industry  of 
Ireland  by  introducing  the  superior  processes  employed  by 
the  foreign  artisans ;  and  had  he  not  attempted  to  turn  the 
improved  flax  manufacture  to  his  own  advantage  by  erecting 
it  into  a  personal  monopoly,  he  might  have  been  entitled  to 
regard  as  a  genuine  benefactor  of  Ireland.  J 

*  See  Ulster  Journnl  of  Arclmolofji/,  v.,  j).  306. 

t  Foster,  JAves  of  Eminent  British  Statesmen,  ii.,  385. 

i  The  first  Duke  of  Ormonde,  imitating  the  example  of  Strafford,  in  like 


THE  REFUGEES  IN  SCOTLAND.  109 

Not  many  of  the  refugees  found  their  way  into  Scotland.* 
That  country  was  then  too  poor  to  hold  out  much  encourage- 
ment to  the  banished  artisans.  An  attempt  was,  however, 
made  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  to  in- 
troduce into  Scotland  the  manufacture  of  cloth;  and  in  1601, 
seven  Flemings  were  engaged  to  settle  in  the  country  and  set 
the  work  agoing — six  of  them  for  serges,  and  one  for  broad- 
cloth. But  disputes  arose  among  the  boroughs  as  to  the 
towns  in  which  the  settlers  were  to  be  located,  during  which 
the  strangers  were  "entertained  m  meat  and  drink."f  At 
length,  in  1609,  a  body  of  Flemings  became  settled  in  the 
Canongate  of  Edinburg  under  one  Joan  Van  Hedan,  where 
they  engaged  in  "  making,  dressing,  and  litting  of  stuffis,  giv- 
ing great  licht  and  knowledge  of  their  calling  to  the  country 
people."! 

An  attempt  was  also  made  to  introduce  the  manufacture 
of  paper  in  Scotland  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  French  workmen  were  introduced  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  natives.  The  first  mill  was  erected  at  Dairy, 
on  the  Water  of  Leith ;  but,  though  they  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing gray  and  blue  paper,  the  speculation  does  not  seem  to 
have  answered,  as  we  find  Alexander  Daes,  one  of  the  princi- 
jsal  proprietors,  shortly  after  occupied  in  showing  an  elephant 
about  the  country ! — the  first  animal  of  the  kind  that  had 
been  seen  north  of  the  Tweed,  § 

manner  established  about  five  hundred  immigrants  at  Chapel  Izod,  in  I^- 
kenny,  under  Colonel  Richard  Lawrence.  He  there  built  houses  for  the 
weavers,  supplying  them  with  looms  and  raw  material,  and  a  considerable 
trade  in  cordage,  sail-cloth,  and  linen  shortly  grew  up.  The  duke  also  set- 
tled large  colonies  of  Walloons  at  Clonmel,  Kilkenny,  and  Carrick-on-Suir, 
where  they  established,  and  for  some  time  successfully  carried  on,  the  man- 
ufacture of  woolen  cloths. 

*  Michelet,  the  French  historian,  says  he  found  at  Holyrood  the  decayed 
tomb-stone  of  a  Frenchman,  who  had  been  the  first  paviour  in  Edinburg,  and 
probably  in  Scotland.  , 

t  Chambers — Domestic  Annals  of  Scotland,  i.,  p.  351.     %  Ibid.,  i.,  p.  421. 

§  Ibid.,  ii.,  p.  390-410.  The  art  of  paper-making  was  not  successfully  es- 
tablished in  Scotland  until  the  middle  of  the  following  century.  Literature 
must  then  have  been  at  a  low  ebb  north  of  the  Tweed.  In  1GS3  there  was 
only  one  printing-press  in  all  Scotland  ;  and  when  it  was  proposed  to  license 
a  second  printer,  the  widow  of  Andrew  Anderson,  who  held  the  only  license, 


no  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

Although  the  number  of  foreigners  who  had  migrated  from 
Flanders,  France,  and  other  European  countries  into  England, 
down  to  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  had 
been  very  large,  it  had  by  no  means  ceased.  Every  fresh  out- 
burst of  persecution  abroad  was  followed  by  renewed  land- 
ings of  tlie  persecuted  on  our  shores.  Whereas  the  number 
of  persons  of  foreign  birth  established  in  the  city  of  London 
in  1567  included  4851  Flemings  and  512  French,  it  was  found, 
ten  years  later,  that  the  foreigners  were  more  than  treble  the 
number ;  and  a  century  later,  there  were  estimated  to  be  not 
fewer  than  13,500  refugees  of  French  birth  in  London  alone. 

The  policy  adopted  by  the  early  English  kings,  and  so  con- 
sistently pursued  by  Queen  Elizabeth  throughout  her  reign, 
of  succoring  and  protecting  industrious  exiles  flying  into  En- 
gland for  refuge,  was  followed  by  James  L  and  by  the  later 
Stuarts,  An  attempt  was  indeed  made  by  Bishop  Laud,  in 
the  reign  of  Charles  I,  in  1622,  to  compel  the  refugees,  who 
were  for  the  most  part  Calvinists,  to  conform  to  the  English 
Liturgy.  On  this,  the  foreign  congregations  appealed  to  the 
king,  pleading  the  hospitality  extended  to  them  by  the  nation 
w^hen  they  had  fled  from  papal  persecution  abroad,  and  the 
privileges  and  exemptions  granted  to  them  by  Edward  VI., 
which  had  been  confirmed  by  Elizabeth  and  James,  and  even 
by  Charles  L  himself  Tlie  utmost  concession  that  the  king 
would  grant  was,  that  those  who  were  bom  aliens  might  still 
enjoy  the  use  of  their  own  church  service,  but  that  all  their 
children  born  in  England  should  regularly  attend  the  parish 
churches.  Even  this  small  concession  Avas  limited  only  to 
the  congregation  at  Canterbury,  and  measures  were  taken  to 
enforce  conformity  m  the  other  dioceses.* 

endeavored  to  keep  the  new  printer  (one  David  Lindsay)  out  of  the  trade, 
alleging  that  slie  had  been  ))veviously  invested  with  the  sole  privilege,  and 
that  "  one  press  is  sriffidently  able  to  supply  all  Scotland!" 

*  The  i)olicy  of  Laud,  by  which  Charles  I.  was  mainly  guided,  was  essen- 
tially reactionary.  His  object  seemed  to  be  to  establish  a  gi-eat  ecclesias- 
tical hierarchy  in  England,  with  himself  as  pope.  On  his  appointment  as 
Primate  of  Kiipland  in  1G33,  he  proceeded  to  assimilate  the  ritual  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Church  to  the  Roman  model.     Strict  rules  were  enjoined  with 


LAUD  AND  THE  PROTESTANT  REFUGEES.  Ill 

The  refugees  thus  found  themselves  exiDOsed  to  the  same 
kind  of  persecution  from  which  they  had  originally  lied  into 
England,  and,  rather  than  endure  it,  several  thousands  of 
them  left  the  country,  abandoning  their  new  homes,  and 
again  risking  the  loss  of  all  rather  than  give  up  their  relig- 
ion. The  result  was  the  emigration  of  about  a  hundred  and 
forty  families  from  Norwich  into  Holland,  where  the  Dutch 
received  them  hospitably,  and  gave  them  house-accommoda- 
tion free,  with  exemption  from  taxes  for  seven  years,  during 
which  they  instructed  the  natives  in  the  woolen  manufacture, 
of  which  they  had  before  been  ignorant.  But  the  greater 
number  of  the  nonconformist  foreigners  emigrated  with  their 
families  to  North  America,  and  swelled  the  numbers  of  the  lit- 
tle colony  already  formed  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  which  event- 
ually laid  the  foundation  of  the  great  New  England  States. 

respect  to  the  dress  of  the  clergy,  and  the  use  of  sui-plices  and  hoods,  copes, 
albs,  stoles,  and  chasubles.  Careful  attention  was  paid  to  ritual,  and  to  the 
attitudes  and  postures,  the  crossings  and  genefluxions,  with  which  it  was  to 
be  accompanied.  Candles  were  introduced  on  the  communion  table,  which 
was  railed  in  and  called  the  altar,  after  the  manner  of  Rome ;  while  the 
communion  became  a  moje  or  less  disguised  mass.  Laud  would  admit  of 
no  Low-Churchism  or  Dissent,  against  both  of  which  he  hurled  excommu- 
nications and  anatliemas.  Under  his  rule,  the  poor  foreign  Protestants  felt 
themselves  like  toads  under  a  harrow.  When  they  humbly  expostulated 
with  him  by  petition,  and  prayed  for  that  liberty  of  worship  which  they  had 
enjoyed  in  past  reigns,  he  told  them  that  his  course  was  not  to  be  stopped  by 
the  letters-patent  of  Edward  VI.,  or  by  any  arguments  they  might  use ;  that 
their  churches  were  nests  of  schism ;  that  it  were  better  there  should  be  no 
foreigners  in  England  than  that  they  should  be  permitted  to  prejudice  and 
endanger  the  Church  government  of  the  realm  ;  and  that  they  must  conform 
at  their  peril  by  the  time  appointed.  While  Laud  was  thus  rigid  in  matters 
of  religion,  he  was  equally  uncompromising  in  matters  of  literature.  He 
instituted  a  strict  censorship  of  the  press,  and  if  any  book  was  published 
without  his  imprimatur,  the  author  and  printer  were  liable  to  be  flogged, 
fined,  placed  in  the  pillory,  and  have  their  ears  cropped.  The  reprinting  of 
old  books  was  also  prohibited ;  even  such  works  as  those  of  the  Protestant 
Bishop  Jewell  being  interdicted.  The  tendency  of  all  this  was  obvious. 
Laud  was  carrying  the  English  Church  back  to  Rome  as  fast  as  the  nation 
would  let  him.  The  Pope  offered  him  a  cardinal's  hat,  and  repeated  the 
oifer,  but  the  time  for  accepting  it  never  arrived.  A  few  weeks  after  the 
meeting  of  the  Long  Parliament,  in  1640,  Laud  was  imjieached  of  high  trea- 
son, condemned,  and  sentenced  to  death;  and  he  was  beheaded  on  the  10th 
of  January  following.  The  injustice  as  well  as  illegality  of  the  sentence  is 
now,  we  believe,  generally  admitted ;  but  the  Long  Parliament  had  the  up- 
per hand,  and  the  struggle  had  become  one  not  only  for  liberty,  but  for  life. 


112  SETTLEMENTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  years,  the  reactionary  course  on 
which  Archbishop  Laud  and  Charles  I.  had  entered  was  sum- 
marily checked,  as  all  readers  of  history  know.  The  foreign 
refugees  were  again  permitted  to  worship  God  according  to 
conscience,  and  the  right  of  free  asylum  in  England  was 
asain  recognized  and  established. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  EARLY  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 

The  chief  object  which  the  foreign  Protestants  had  in  view 
in  flying  for  refuge  into  England  was  to  worship)  God  accord- 
ing to  conscience.  For  that  they  had  sacrificed  all — posses- 
sions, home,  and  country.  Accordingly,  no  sooner  did  they 
settle  in  any  place  than  they  formed  themselves  into  congre- 
gations for  the  purpose  of  worshiping  together.  While  their 
numbers  were  small,  they  were  content  to  meet  in  each  oth- 
er's houses,  or  in  workshops  or  other  roomy  places ;  but,  as 
the  influx  of  refugees  increased  with  the  increase  of  perse- 
cution abroad,  and  as  many  pastors  of  eminence  came  with 
them,  the  strangers  besought  the  government  to  grant  them 
conveniences  for  holding  their  worship  in  public.  This  was 
willingly  conceded  to  them,  and  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Ed- 
ward VI.  churches  were  set  apart  for  their  use  in  London,, 
Norwich,  Southampton,  and  Canterbury. 

The  first  Walloon  and  French  churches  in  London  owed 
their  origin  to  the  young  King  Edward  VI.,  and  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Duke  of  Somerset  and  Archbishop  Cranmer. 
On  the  24th  of  July,  1550,  the  King  issued  royal  letters  pat- 
ent, appointing  John  A'  Lasco,  a  learned  Polish  gentleman,* 

*  lu  154:4,  John  A' Lasco  gave  up  the  office  of  provost  of  the  church  of 
Gneznc  in  Posen,  of  which  his  uncle  was  archbishop,  to  go  and  found  a 
Protestant  church  at  Embden,  in  East  Friesland.  An  order  of  Charles  V. 
obliged  him  to  leave  that  town  four  years  later,  when  he  came  over  to  En- 
gland, in  the  year  1548,  and  placed  himself  in  communication  with  Cecil, 
who  recommended  him  to  the  Duke  of  Somerset  and  Archbishop  Cranmer. 
During  his  residence  in  England,  A'  Lasco  was  actively  engaged  in  propa- 
gating the  new  views.  He  established  the  first  French  printing-house  in 
London  for  the  publication  of  religious  books,  of  which  he  produced  many  ; 
and  he  also  published  others,  written  in  French  by  Edward  VI.  himself. 
During  the  reign  of  Mary,  when  Protestantism  in  all  its  forms  was  tempo- 
rarily suppressed.  A'  Lasco  fled  for  his  life,  and  took  refuge  in  Switzerland, 
where  he  died.  The  foreign  churches  in  Austin  Friars  and  Threadneedle 
Street  were  reopened  on  the  accession  of  Elizabeth. 

H 


lU       WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

superintendent  of  the  refugee  Protestant  churches  in  En- 
gland ;  and  at  the  same  time  he  assigned  to  such  of  the 
strangers  as  had  settled  in  London  the  church  in  Austin 
Friars  called  the  Temple  of  Jesus,  wherein  to  hold  their  as- 
semblies and  celebrate  their  worship  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  their  country.  Of  this  church  Walter  Deloen  and 
Martin  Flanders,  Frangois  de  la  Riviere  and  Richard  Fran- 
5ois,  were  appointed  the  first  ministers  ;  the  two  former  of 
the  Dutch  or  Flemish  part  of  the  congregation,  and  the  two 
latter  of  the  French.  The  king  further  constituted  the  su- 
perintendent and  the  ministers  into  a  body  politic,  and  placed 
them  under  the  safeguard  of  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  au- 
thorities of  the  kingdom.  The  number  of  refugees  settled 
in  London  had  by  this  time  become  so  great  that  one  church 
was  found  insufficient  for  their  accommodation,  although  the 
Dutch  and  French  met  at  alternate  hours  during  the  day. 
Li  the  course  of  a  few  months,  therefore,  a  second  place  of 
worship  was  granted  for  the  French-speaking  part  of  the  ref- 
ugees;  and  the  church  of  St.  Anthony's  Hospital,  in  Thread- 
needle  Street,  was  set  apart  for  their  use.* 

Walloon  and  French  congregations  were  also  formed  at 
Sandwich,  Rye,  Winch elsea,  Southampton,  and  the  other  ports 
at  wliicli  the  refugees  first  landed  ;  at  Yarmouth,  where  they 
established  their  fishing-station ;  and  at  Colchester,  Stamford, 
Thetford,  Glastonbury,  and  the  inland  towns,  where  they  car- 
ried on  the  cloth  manufacture.  At  Sandwich,  the  old  church 
of  St.  Peter's  was  set  apart  for  their  special  use;  but,  at  the 
same  time,  they  were  enjoined  not  to  dispute  openly  concern- 
ing their  religion.f     At  Rye  they  were  allowed  the  use  of 

*  Both  these  churches  were  subsequently  destroyed  by  fire.  The  church 
ill  Austin  Friars  was  burnt  down  quite  recently,  and  has  since  been  restored. 
The  cliiirch  in  Threadneedle  Street  was  burnt  down  during  the  great  fire  of 
LoiuIdu,  and  was  afterward  rebuilt ;  but  it  has  since  been  demolished  to 
make  way  for  the  approaches  to  the  new  Royal  Exchange,  when  it  was  re- 
moved to*  the  new  French  church  in  St.  Martin's-le-Grand. 

t  This  <hurch  long  continued  to  flourish.  The  Rev.  Gerard  de  Gols,  rec- 
tor of  St.  Peter's,  and  minister  of  the  Dutch  congregation  in  Sandwich  be- 
tween 1713  and  1737,  was  highly  esteemed  in  his  day  as  an  author,  and  so 


THE  REFUGEE  CONGREGATIONS.  115 

the  parish  church  during  one  part  of  the  clay,  until  a  special 
place  of  worship  could  be  provided  for  their  accommodation. 
At  Norwich,  where  the  number  of  the  settlers  was  greater  in 
proportion  to  the  population  than  in  most  other  towns,  the 
choir  of  Friars  Preachers  Church,  on  the  east  side  St.  An- 
drew's Hall,  was  assigned  for  the  use  of  the  Dutch,  and  the 
Bishop's  Chapel,  afterward  the  church  of  St.  Mary's  Tomb- 
land,  was  appropriated  for  the  use  of  the  French  and  Wal- 
loons. 

Two  of  the  most  ancient  and  interesting  of  the  churches 
founded  by  the  refugees  are  those  of  Southampton  and  Can- 
terbury, both  of  which  survive  to  this  day.  Southampton 
was  resorted  to  at  an  early  period  by  the  fugitives  from  the 
persecutions  in  Flanders  and  France.  Many  came  from  the 
Channel  Islands,  where  they  had  first  fled  for  refuge,  on  ac- 
count of  the  proximity  of  these  places  to  the  French  coast. 
This  appears  from  the  register  of  the  church,  a  document  of 
great  interest,  preserved  among  the  records  of  the  Register 
General  at  Somerset  House.*  Like  the  two  foreign  Protest- 
ant churches  in  London  already  named,  that  at  Southampton 
was  established  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VL,f  when  an  old 
chapel  in  "Winkle  Street,  near  the  harbor,  called  Domus  Dei, 
or  "  God's  House,"  forming  part  of  an  ancient  hospital  found- 
ed by  two  merchants  in  the  reign  of  Henry  HI.,  was  set  apart 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  refugees.  The  hospital  and 
chapel  had  originally  been  dedicated  to  St.  Julian,  the  j)atron 
of  travelers,  and  was  probably  used  in  ancient  times  by  pil- 

much  respected  by  his  fellow-townsmen  that  he  was  one  of  the  persons  se- 
lected by  the  corporation  to  support  the  canopies  at  the  coronation  of  George 
II.  and  Queen  Caroline. 

*  See  Appendix,  Registers  of  French  Protestant  Churches  in  England. 

+  The  original  grant  of  the  chapel  for  the  use  of  the  Protestant  refugees 
is  usually  attributed  to  Elizabeth,  who  merely  confirmed  the  grant  made  by 
Edward  VI.  Mr.  Burn  (Hist,  a/ Foreign  Protestant  Refugees,  p.  80)  quotes  a 
petition  addressed  by  the  settlers  to  the  mayor  and  aldermen  of  Southampton 
in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time  (Brit.  Mus.  Vesp.,  F.ix.),  asking  "to  have  a  church 
assigned  to  them,  and  to  have  sacraments  and  sermons  as  used  in  the  time 
of  Edward  VI."  They  at  the  same  time  asked  permission  to  use  their  vari- 
ous crafts  in  the  town,  and  "to  employ  their  own  countrymen  and  maidens 
in  their  trades." 


116  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

grims  passing  through  Southampton  to  and  from  the  adjom- 
ing  monastic  establishments  of  Xetley  and  Beaulieu,  and  the 
famous  shrines  of  Winchester,  Wells,  and  Salisbury. 

There  are  no  records  of  this  early  French  church  beyond 
-what  can  be  gathered  from  their  register,*  which,  however, 
is  remarkably  complete  and  Avell  preserved,  and  presents 
many  points  of  curious  interest.  The  first  entries  are  dated 
1567,  when  the  register  began  to  be  kept ;  and  they  arc  con- 
tinued, with  occasional  mtermissions,  down  to  the  year  1797. 
From  the  first  list  of  communicants  given,  it  appears  that 
their  number  in  1567  was  fifty-eight,  of  whom  eight  were  dis- 
tinguished as  "  Anglois."  The  callings  of  the  members  Avere 
various,  medical  men  being  comparatively  numerous ;  while 
others  are  described  as  weavers,  bakers,  cutlers,  and  brewers. 
The  places  from  which  the  refugees  had  come  are  also  given, 
those  most  frequently  occurring  being  Valenciennes,  Lisle, 
Dieppe,  Gemese  (Guernsey),  and  Jerse.  It  further  appears 
from  the  entries  that  satisfactory  evidence  Avas  required  of 
the  character  and  religious  standing  of  the  ncAV  refugees  Avho 
from  time  to  time  arrived  from  abroad,  before  they  Avere  ad- 
mitted to  the  privileges  of  membership ;  the  words  "  avec 
attestation,"  "  temoinage  par  ecrit,"  or  simply  "  temoinage," 
being  attached  to  a  large  number  of  names.  Many  of  the 
fugitives,  before  they  succeeded  in  making  their  escape,  ap- 
pear to  have  been  forced  to  attend  mass ;  and  their  first  care 
on  landing  seems  to  have  been  to  seek  out  the  nearest  pas- 
tor, confess  their  sins,  and  take  the  sacrament  according  to 
the  rites  of  their  church.  On  the  3d  of  July,  1574  (more  than 
a  year  after  the  massacre  of  St.  BartholomcAv),  occurs  this  en- 
try :  "  Tiebaut  de  Befroi,  his  wife,  his  son,  and  his  daughter, 
after  having  made  their  public  acknoAvledgment  of  havuig 
been  at  the  mass,  were  all  receiA-ed  to  the  sacrament." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  i)ortions  of  the  register  is  the 
record  of  fasts  and  thanksgivings  held  at  God's  House,  in  the 

*  Register  of  the  Church  of  St.  Julian,  or  God's  House,  of  Southampton. 
Archives  of  Registrar  General  at  Somerset  House.     See  Appendix. 


THE  FASTS  AT  "  GOUS  HOUSE."  117 

coui'se  of  which  we  see  the  poor  refugees  anxiously  watching 
the  course  of  events  abroad,  deploring  the  increasing  feroci- 
ty of  the  persecutors,  praying  God  to  bridle  the  strong  and 
wicked  men  who  sought  to  destroy  His  Church,  and  to  give 
the  help  of  His  outstretched  arm  to  its  true  followers  and  de- 
fenders. The  first  of  such  fasts  (jetisnes)  relates  to  the  per- 
secutions in  the  Netherlands  by  the  Duke  of  Alva,  and  runs 
as  follows:*  "The  year  1568,  the  third  day  of  September, 
was  celebrated  a  public  fast;  the  occasion  was  that  Mon- 
seignor  the  Prince  of  Orange  had  descended  from  Germany 
into  the  Loav  Countries  to  try  with  God's  help  to  deliver  the 
poor  churches  there  from  affliction ;  and  noAV  to  beseech  the 
Lord  most  fervently  for  the  deliverance  of  His  people,  this 
fast  was  celebrated." 

Another  fast  w^as  held  in  1570,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
defeat  of  the  Prince  of  Conde  at  the  battle  of  Jarnac,  when 
the  little  church  at  Southampton  again  beseeched  help  for 
their  brethren  against  the  calamities  which  threatened  to 
overwhelm  them.  Two  years  later,  on  the  25th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1572,  we  find  them  again  entreating  help  for  the  Prince 
of  Orange,  who  had  entered  the  Low  Countries  from  Germa- 
ny with  a  new  army,  to  deliver  the  poor  churches  there  from 
the  hands  of  the  Duke  of  Alva,  "that  cruel  tyrant;  and  also, 
principally,  for  that  the  churches  of  France  have  sufiered  a 
marvelous  and  extremely  horrible  calamity — ajiorrible  mas- 
sacre having  been  perpetrated  at  Paris  on  the  24th  day  of 
August  last,  in  which  a  great  number  of  nobles  and  of  the 
faithful  were  killed  in  one  night,  about  twelve  or  thirteen 
thousand ;  preaching  forbidden  throughout  the  kingdom,  and 
all  the  property  of  the  faithful  given  up  to  pillage  through- 
out the  kingdom.  Now,  for  the  consolation  of  them  and  of 
the  Low  Countries,  and  to  pray  the  Lord  for  their  deliver- 
ance, was  celebrated  this  solemn  fast."f 

Other  fasts  were  held,  to  pray  God  to  maintain  her  majes- 
ty the  queen  in  good  friendshi])  and  accord  with  the  Prince 

*  For  the  words  in  the  original,  see  Appendix.  f  Id.  ibid. 


118  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

of  Orange,*  to  uphold  the  Protestant  churches  in  France,  to 
stay  the  ravages  of  the  plague,  to  comfort  and  succor  the 
poor  people  of  Antwerp  driven  out  of  that  city  on  its  de- 
struction by  the  Spaniards,!  and  to  help  and  strengthen  the 
churches  of  the  refuge  established  in  England.  Several  of 
these  fasts  were  appointed  to  be  held  by  the  conference  (col- 
loque)  of  the  churches,  the  meetings  of  which  were  held  an- 
nually in  London,  Canterbury,  Norwich,  Southampton,  and 
other  places,  so  that  at  the  same  time  the  same  fast  Avas  be- 
ing held  in  all  the  foreign  churches  throughout  the  kingdom. 

In  one  case  the  shock  of  an  earthquake  is  recorded.  The 
entry  runs  as  follows:  "The  28th  of  April,  1580,  a  flist  was 
celebrated  to  pray  God  to  preserve  us  against  his  anger, 
since  on  the  sixth  of  this  month  we  have  been  appalled  b^-  a 
great  trembling  of  the  earth,  which  has  not  only  been  felt 
throughout  all  this  kingdom,  but  also  in  Picardy  and  the  Low 
Countries  of  Flanders ;  as  well  as  to  preserve  us  against  Avar 
and  plague,  and  to  protect  the  poor  churches  of  Flanders  and 
France  against  the  assaults  of  their  enemies,  who  have  joined 
their  forces  to  the  great  army  of  Spain  for  the  purpose  of 
Avorking  their  destruction."  Another  fast  commemorates  the 
appearance  of  a  comet,  which  Avas  first  seen  on  the  8th  of  Oc- 
tober, and  continued  in  sight  until  the  12th  of  December,  in 
the  year  1581. 

A  subsequent  entry  relates  to  the  defeat  of  the  great  Sj^an- 
isli  Armada.  On  this  occasion  the  little  church  united  in  a 
public  thanksgiving.  The  record  is  as  folloAvs:  "The  29th 
of  November,  1588,  thanks  Avere  publicly  rendered  to  God  for 
the  Avonderful  dispersion  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  Avhich  liad  de- 
scended upon  the  coast  of  England  Avith  the  object  of  con- 
quering the  kingdom  and  bringing  it  under  the  tyranny  of 
the  Pope."  And  on  the  5th  of  December  folloAving,  anotlicr 
public  fast  Avas  held  for  the  jDurpose  of  praying  the  Lord  that 
he  would  be  pleased  to  grant  to  the  churches  of  France  and 
of  Flanders  a  like  happy  deliverance  as  liad  been  vouchsafed 

*  Fast,  29th  August,  1576.  t  Fast,  22d  November,  1576. 


QUEEN  ELIZABETH  A T  SOUTHAMPTON.  119 

to  England.  A  blessing  was  also  sought  upon  the  English 
navy,  which  had  put  to  flight  the  Armada  of  Spain. 

Other  fasts  and  thanksgivings  relate  to  the  progress  of  the 
arms  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  his  subsequent  ascent  of  the 
French  throne,  when  the  right  of  the  French  Protestants  to 
liberty  of  worship  became  legally  recognized.*  In  the  midst 
of  these  events  Queen  Elizabeth  visited  Southampton  with 
her  court,  on  which  occasion  the  refugees  sought  to  obtain 
access  to  her  majesty,  to  thank  her  for  the  favor  and  protec- 
tion they  had  enjoyed  at  her  hands.  Tliey  were  unable  to 
obtain  an  interview  with  the  queen  until  she  had  set  out  on 
her  Avay  homeward,  when  a  deputation  of  the  refugees  waited 
for  her  outside  the  town  and  craved  a  brief  interview.  This 
she  graciously  accorded,  when  their  spokesman  thanked  her 
for  the  tranquillity  and  rest  which  they  had  enjoyed  during 
the  twenty-four  years  that  they  had  lived  in  the  town,  to 
which  the  queen  replied  very  kmdly,  giving  praise  to  God 
who  had  given  her  the  opportunity  and  the  power  of  wel- 
coming and  encouraging  the  poor  foreigners.! 

A  considerable  proportion  of  the  fasts  relate  to  the  plague, 
which  was  a  frequent  and  unwelcome  visitor — on  one  occa- 
sion sweeping  away  almost  the  entire  settlement.  In  1583 
the  communicants  were  reduced  to  a  very  small  number,  but 
those  who  remained  met  daily  at  "  God's  House"  to  pray  for 
the  abatement  of  the  pestilence.  It  returned  again  in  1604, 
and  again  swept  away  a  large  proportion  of  the  congrega- 
tion, which  had  considerably  increased  in  the  interval.  One 
hundred  and  sixty-one  persons  are  set  down  as  having  died 
of  plague  in  that  year,  the  number  of  deaths  amounting  to 
four  and  five  a  day.  The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Southampton  abandoned  their  dwellings,  and  the  clergy  seem 

*  On  the  7th  of  September,  1589,  the  French  Protestant  refugees  in  Lon- 
don sent  an  address  to  Henry  IV.,  on  his  accession  to  the  Frencli  throne, 
exhorting  him  to  continue  steadfast  in  iiis  support  of  the  Churcli,  showing 
that  the  poor  French  emigrants  had  neither  forgotten  their  native  country, 
nor  the  cause  of  their  coming  hither. — Stale  Paper  Office ;  Foreign  Corre- 
spondence— France. 

t  Entry  in  Register  of  God's  House,  Southampton.     See  Appendix. 


120  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

to  have  accompanied  them;  for  on  the  23d  of  July,  1665,  an 
English  child  was  brought  to  the  French  church  to  be  bap- 
tized, by  authority  of  the  mayor,  and  the  ceremony  -was  per- 
formed by  M.  Courand,  the  pastor.  Shortly  after,  Courand 
died  at  his  post,  after  registering  with  his  own  hand  the 
deaths  of  the  greater  part  of  his  flock.  On  the  21st  of  Sep- 
tember, 1665,  the  familiar  handwriting  of  the  pastor  ceases, 
and  the  entry  is  made  by  another  hand :  "  Monsieur  Courand, 
notre  pasteur — peste."  While  death  was  thus  busy,  marry- 
ing and  giving  in  marriage  nevertheless  went  on.  Some 
couples  were  so  impatient  to  be  united  that  they  could  not 
wait  for  the  return  of  the  English  clergy,  who  had  all  left 
the  town,  but  proceeded  to  be  married  at  "  God's  House,"  as 
we  find  by  the  register. 

Another  highly-interesting  memorial  of  the  asylum  given 
to  the  persecuted  Protestants  of  Flanders  and  France  so 
many  centuries  ago,  is  presented  by  the  Walloon  or  French 
church  Avhich  exists  to  this  day  in  Canterbury  Cathedral.  It 
was  formed  at  a  very  early  period,  some  suppose  as  early  as 
the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  like  those  of  London  and  Southamp- 
ton ;  but  the  first  record  preserved  of  its  existence  is  early  in 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  Shortly  after  the  landings  of  the  for- 
eign Protestants  at  Sandwich  and  Rye,  a  body  of  them  pro- 
ceeded to  Canterbury,  and  sought  permission  of  the  mayor 
and  aldermen  to  settle  in  the  place.  They  came  principally 
from  Lisle,  Nuelle,  Turcoing,  Waterloo,  Darmentieres,  and 
other  places  situated  along  the  present  French  frontier. 

The  first  arrivals  of  the  fugitives  consisted  of  eighteen 
families,  led  by  their  pastor.  Hector  Hamon,  "  minister  verbi 
Dei."  They  are  described  as  having  landed  at  Rye,  and  tem- 
porarily settled  at  Winchelsea,  from  which  place  they  came 
across  the  country  to  Canterbury.  Persecution  had  made 
these  poor  exiles  very  humble.  All  that  they  sought  was 
freedom  to  worship  and  to  labor.  They  had  no  thought  but 
to  pursue  their  several  callings  in  peace  and  quiet — to  bring 
up  their  children  virtuously — and  to  lead  a  diligent,  sober, 


CANTERBURY  WALLOON  CHURCIL  I21 

and  religious  life,  according  to  the  dictates  of  conscience. 
Men  such  as  these  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  in  all  times ;  yet 
they  had  been  forced  by  a  ruthless  persecution  from  their 
homes,  and  driven  forth  as  wanderers  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
In  their  memorial  to  the  mayor  and  aldermen  in  1564,  they 
set  forth  that  they  had,  for  the  love  of  religion  (which  they 
earnestly  desired  to  hold  fast  with  a  free  conscience),  relin- 
quished their  country  and  their  worldly  goods;  and  they 
humbly  prayed  that  they  might  be  permitted  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  religion  within  the  city,  and  allowed  the  privi- 
lege of  a  temple  to  hold  their  worship  in,  together  with  a 
place  of  sepulture  for  their  dead.  They  farther  requested 
that  lest,  under  the  guise  of  religion,  profane  and  evil-minded 
men  should  seek  to  share  in  the  privileges  which  they  sought 
to  obtain,  none  should  be  permitted  to  join  them  without 
giving  satisfactory  evidences  of  their  probity  of  character. 
And,  in  order  that  the  young  persons  belonging  to  their  body 
might  not  remain  untaught,  they  also  asked  permission  to 
maintain  a  teacher  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them  in  the 
French  tongue.  Finally,  they  declared  their  intention  of 
being  industrious  citizens,  and  proceeding,  under  the  favor 
and  protection  of  the  magistrates,  to  make  Florence,  serges, 
bombazine,  Orleans,  silk,  bayes,  mouquade,  and  other  stuifs.* 

*  The  followinji  is  the  memorial,  as  given  in  the  appendix  to  Somner's 
Antiquities  of  Canteihtiry,  and  which  he  entitles  "The  articles  granted  to  the 
French  strangers  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  City  :"  "■ 

Dignissimis  Dominis  Domino  Maiori  et  Fratribus  Consiliariis  Urbis  Cantua- 

riensis  Salutem. 

Supplicant  humilime  extranei  vestra  libertate  adm  si  in  ista  urbe  Cantua- 
riensi  quat'  velitis  sequentes  articulos  illis  concedere. 
Prior  Articulus. 

1.  Quia  religionis  amore  (qiiam  libera  conscientia  tenere  percupiunt)  pa- 
ll'iam  et  propria  bona  reliquernnt,  orant  sibi  liberum  exercitium  suce  relig- 
fanis  pcrmitti  in  hac  urbe,  quod  ut  fiat  commodius  sibi  assignari  templum  et 
locum  in  quo  poterint  sepelire  mortuos  suos. 

Secundus  Ariimliis. 

2.  Et  ne  sub  eorum  umbra  et  titulo  religionis  profani  et  male  morati  ho- 
mines sese  in  banc  urbem  intromittant  per  qnos  tota  societas  male  audiret 
apud  cives  vestros  ;  supplicant  nemini  liberam  mansionem  in  hac  uibe  per- 
mitti,  nisi  prius  sua)  probitatis  sufBciens  testimonium  vobis  dcderit. 


122  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Canterbury  Avas  fortunate  in  being  appealed  to  by  the  fu- 
gitives for  an  asylum,  bringing  with  them,  as  they  did,  skill, 
industry,  and  character;  and  the  authorities  at  once  cheer- 
fully granted  them  all  that  they  asked,  in  the  terms  of  their 
own  memorial.  The  mayor  and  aldermen  gave  them  permis- 
sion to  carry  on  their  trades  within  the  precmcts  of  the  city. 
At  the  same  time,  the  liberal-minded  Matthew  Parker,  then 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  with  the  sanction  of  the  queen, 
granted  to  the  exiles  the  free  use  of  the  Under  Croft  of  the 
cathedral,  where  "  the  gentle  and  profitable  strangers,"  as 
the  archbishop  styled  them,  not  only  celebrated  their  worship 
and  taught  their  children,  but  set  up  their  looms  and  carried 
on  their  several  trades. 

The  Under  Croft,  or  Crypt,  extends  under  the  choir  and 
high  altar  of  Canterbury  Cathedral,  and  is  of  considerable 
extent.  The  body  of  Thomas  a  Becket  was  buried  first  in 
the  Under  Croft,  and  lay  there  for  fifty  years,  until  it  was 
translated  with  great  ceremony  to  the  sumptuous  shrine  pre- 
pared by  Stephen  Langton,  his  successor,  at  the  east  end  of 
the  cathedral.  Part  of  the  Under  Croft,  immediately  under 
the  cross  aisle  of  the  choir,  was  dedicated  and  endoAved  as  a 

Tertius  Articulus. 
3.  Et  ne  inventus  inculta  maneat,  requirunt  permissionem  dari  prceceptori 
quern  secuni  adduxerunt  instruendi  jiivenes,  turn  cos  quos  secum  adduxe- 
runt,  turn  eos  qui  volunt  linguam  Gallicum  discerc. 
Quartus  Articnlus. 
'4.   Artes  ad  quas  exercendas  sunt  vocari,  et  in  quibus  laborare  cupit  tota 
societas  sub  vestro  favore  et  protectione  sunt  Florenci,  Serfjes,  Bombasin,  D. 
of  Ascot  Serges,  etc.,  of  Orleance,  Frotz,  Silkwevcr,  Mouquade,  Mauntes. 
Bazes,  &c.,  Stofe  Mouquades. 

Nomina  snppUrantiuin  sunt. 
Hector  Hamon,  Minister  verlii  Dei. 
ViNCENTins  Primont,  Institutor  Juventutis. 
Egidius  Cousin,  Magister  opcrum,  et  conductor  totius  congre- 
gationis  in  opere. 

MiCHAKL  Cousin.  Johannes  le  Pelu. 

Jacobus  Querin.  Johannes  de  la  Forterte. 

Petrus  du  Bosk.  Noel  Lestene. 

Antonius  du  Verdier.      Nicholaus  Dubcisson. 
PiiiLippus  de  Neuz.  Petrus  Desportes. 

ROBERTUS  JOVELIN.  JaCOBUS  BoUDET. 

Tres  Vu)u.e. 


THE  CHAPEL  OF  THE  UNDER  CROFT.  123 

chapel  by  Edward  the  Black  Prince ;  and  another  part  of  the 
area  was  inclosed  by  rich  Gothic  stone-work,  and  dedicated 
to  the  Virgin.* 

The  Lady  Undercroft  Chapel  was  one  of  the  most  gor- 
geous shrines  of  its  time.  It  was  so  rich  and  of  such  high 
esteem,  that  Somner  says  "  the  sight  of  it  was  debarred  to 
the  vulgar,  and  reserved  only  for  persons  of  great  quality." 
Erasmus,  who  by  especial  favor  (Archbishop  Warham  recom- 
mending him)  was  brought  to  the  sight  of  it,  describes  it 
tlius :  "  There,"  said  he,  "  the  Virgin-mother  hath  a  habita- 
tion, but  somewhat  dark,  inclosed  with  a  double  Sejit  or  Rail 
of  Iron  for  fear  of  Thieves.  For  indeed  I  never  saw  a  thing- 
more  laden  with  Riches.  Lights  being  brought,  we  saw  a 
more  than  Royal  Spectacle.  In  beauty  it  far  surpasseth  that 
of  Walsingham.  This  Chapel  is  not  showed  but  to  Noble- 
men and  especial  Friends."f  Over  the  statue  of  the  Virgin, 
which  was  in  pure  gold,  there  was  a  royal  purple  canopy, 
starred  with  jewels  and  precious  stones;  and  a  row  of  silver 
lamps  was  suspended  from  the  roof  in  front  of  the  shrine. 

All  these  decorations  were,  however,  removed  by  Henry 
VIII.,  who  took  possession  of  the  greater  2:)art  of  the  gold, 
and  silver,  and  jewels  of  the  cathedral,  and  had  them  cou- 

*  Canterbury  Cathedral  contains  an  interesting  Huguenot  memorial  of 
about  the  same  date  as  the  settlement  of  the  Walloons  in  the  Under  Croft. 
The  visitor  to  the  cathedral  observes  behind  the  high  altar,  near  the  tomb 
of  the  Black  Prince,  a  coffin  of  brick  plastered  over  in  the  form  of  a  sar- 
cophagus. It  contains  the  ashes  of  Cardinal  Odo  Coligny,  brother  of  the 
celebrated  Admiral  Coligny,  one  of  the  first  victims  of  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew.  In  1568  the  cardinal  visited  Queen  Elizabeth,  who  received 
him  with  marked  respect,  and  lodged  him  sumptuously  at  Sheen.  Three 
years  later  he  died  at  Canterbury  after  a  brief  illness.  Strypc,  and  nearly 
all  subsequent  writers,  allege  that  he  died  of  poison,  administered  by  one  of 
his  attendants  because  of  his  supposed  conversion  to  Protestantism.  From  a 
full  report  of  his  death  made  to  Burghley  and  Leicester,  preserved  in  the 
State  Paper  Office,  there  does  not,  however,  appear  sufficient  ground  for  the 
popular  belief.  His  body  was  not  interred,  but  was  placed  in  the  brick  cof- 
fin behind  the  high  altar,  in  order  that  it  might  be  the  more  readily  removed 
for  interment  in  the  family  vault  in  France  when  the  religious  troubles 
which  then  prevailed  had  come  to  an  end.  But  the  massacre  of  St.  Barthol- 
omew shortly  followed ;  the  Coligny  family  were  thereby  almost  destroyed  ; 
and  hence  the  body  of  Odo  Coligny  has  not  been  buried  to  this  day. 

t  Somner — Antiquities  of  Canterbury,  1703,  p.  97. 


124  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

verted  into  money.*  The  Under  Croft  became  deserted  ;  the 
chapels  it  contained  were  disused ;  and  it  remained  merely  a 
large,  vaulted,  ill-lighted  area,  until  permission  was  granted 
to  the  "Walloons  to  use  it  by  turns  as  a  weaving-shed,  a 
school,  and  a  church.  Over  the  capitals  of  the  columns  on 
the  north  side  of  the  crypt  are  several  texts  of  Scripture  still 
to  be  seen  in  old  French,  written  up  for  the  benefit  of  the 
scholars,  and  doubtless  taught  them  by  heart.  The  texts 
are  from  the  Psalms,  the  Proverbs,  and  the  New  Testament. 

Desolate,  gloomy,  and  sepulchral  though  the  place  was — ■ 
with  the  ashes  of  former  archbishops  and  dignitaries  of  the 
cathedral  mouldering  under  their  feet  —  the  exiles  were 
thankful  for  the  refuge  it  afforded  them  in  their  time  ot 
need,  and  they  daily  made  the  vaults  resound  with  their 
prayer  and  praise.  Morning  and  night  they  "  sang  the 
Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land,  and  wept  Avhen  they  remember" 
ed  Zion."  During  the  daytime  the  place  was  busy  with  the 
sound  of  labor;  the  floor  was  covered  with  looms,  through 
which  the  shuttles  went  flashing ;  and  the  exiles  were  cheer- 
ed at  the  thought  of  being  able  thus  honestly  to  earn  their 
living,  thougli  among  foreigners. 

The  refugees  worked,  Avorshiped,  and  prospered.  They 
succeeded  in  maintaining  themselves ;  they  supported  their 
own  poor ;  and  they  were  able,  out  of  their  small  means,  to 
entend  a  helping  hand  to  the  numerous  fugitives  wlio  con- 
tinued to  arrive  in  England,  fleeing  from  the  persecutions  in 
Flanders  and  France.  Their  numbers  so  increased,  that  in 
the  course  of  a  few  years  the  French  congregation  consisted 
of  several  hundred  persons.  Every  corner  of  the  Under 
Croft  Avas  occupied,  and,  as  more  immigrants  continued  to 

*  One  of  the  richest  parts  of  the  treasure  taken  from  the  Cathedral  was  the 
shrine  of  Thoinas  ii  Becket,  thus  described  by  Stow  in  his  Annals  (in  Henry 
VIII.):  "The  timber-work  of  this  Shrine  on  the  outside  was  covered  witli 
plates  of  Gold,  damasked  and  embossed  with  Wires  of  Gold,  garnished  witli 
IBrooches,  Imapes,  Angels,  Chains,  Precious  Stones,  and  groat  Orient  Pearls, 
the  Spoil  of  which  Shrine  (in  Gold  and.Iewels  of  an  inestimable  value)  filled 
two  great  Clhests,  one  of  which  six  or  eight  strong  men  could  do  no  more 
than  convey  out  of  the  Church — all  which  was  taken  to  the  King's  use." 


THE  EXILES  IN  THE  UNDER  CROFT.  125 

arrive,  the  place  became  too  small  to  accommodate  them. 
Somner,  writing  in  1639,  thus  refers  to  the* exiles : 

"Let  me  now  lead  you  to  the  Under  Croft — a  place  fit,  and  haply  (as  one 
cause)  fitted  to  keep  in  memory  the  subterraneous  Temples  of  the  Primitives 
in  the  times  of  Persecution.  The  West  part  whereof,  being  spacious  and 
lightsome,  for  many  years  hath  been  the  strangers'  church :  A  congregation 
for  the  most  part  of  distressed  Exiles,  grown  so  great,  and  yet  daily  multiply- 
ing, that  the  place  in  short  time  is  likely  to  prove  a  Hive  too  little  to  contain 
such  a  Swarm.  So  great  an  alteration  is  there  since  the  time  the  first  of 
the  Tribe  came  hither,  the  number  of  them  then  consisting  of  but  eighteen 
families,  or  thereabouts."* 

The  exiles  remained  unmolested  in  the  exercise  of  their 
worship  until  the  period  when  Laud  became  archbishop, 
when  the  attempt  was  made  to  compel  them  to  conform  to 
the  English  ritual,  and  they  began  to  fear  lest  they  should 
again  haA'e  to  fly  and  seek  refuge  elsewhere.  But  the  at- 
tention of  the  archbishop  was  shortly  diverted  from  them  by 
the  outbreak  of  the  Scottish  war ;  and  although  there  were 
riots  and  disturbances  in  the  cathedralf — the  j^opular  indig- 
nation being  greatly  excited  by  the  retrograde  movement 
then  on  foot  in  religious  and  political  afiairs — it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  the  foreigners  were  farther  molested.  They  were 
protected  throughout  the  period  of  the  Commonwealth  and 
the  Protectorate,  and  afterward  by  Charles  II.     Their  num- 

*  Somner — Antiquities  of  Canterbury,  Part  i.,  97. 

t  In  the  pi-eface  to  the  new  edition  of  Somner's  Antiquities  of  Canterbury, 
the  editor,  Nicolas  Battely,  M.A.,  thus  refers  to  these  riots:  " Mr. William 
Somner  collected  the  Antiquities  of  Canterbury  in  a  time  of  Peace,  while 
(as  yet)  tlie  Church  flourished  under  the  Government  of  King  Charles  I., 
and  under  tlie  conduct  of  Archbishop  Laud,  to  whose  Patronage  he  dedi- 
cated this  Work,  which  he  published  Anno  1640.  But  before  this  Year  was 
ended  a  dismal  Storm  did  arise,  which  did  shake  and  threaten  with  a  final 
overthrow  the  very  Foundations  of  this  Church  :  For  upon  the  Feast  of  the 
Epiphany,  and  the  Sunday  following,  there  was  a  riotous  disturbance  raised 
by  some  disorderly  People,  in  the  time  of  Divine  Service,  in  the  Quire  of 
this  Church :  And  altho'  by  the  care  of  tlie  Prebendaries  a  stop  was  put  to 
tliese  Disorders  for  a  time,  yet  afterwards  the  IMadness  of  the  Peo]ile  did 
rage,  and  prevail  beyond  resistance.  The  venerable  Dean  and  Cancns  were 
turned  out  of  their  Stalls,  the  beautiful  and  new-erected  Font  was  ])ulled 
down,  the  Inscriptions,  Figures,  and  Coats  of  Arms,  engraven  upon  Brass, 
were  torn  oif  from  the  ancient  Monuments  ;  and  wliatsoever  there  was  of 
beauty  or  decency  in  the  Holy  Place  was  despoiled  by  the  outrages  of  Sac- 
rilege and  Profaneness." 


126  WALLOON  AND  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

bers  were  greatly  increased  by  the  arrival  of  a  body  of  silk 
and  stuff  weavers  from  Tours,  until,  in  1665,  they  numbered 
126  master-weavers  and  above  1300  workpeople,  who  carried 
on  the  trades  of  silk  and  stuff  weaving,  dyeing,  loom  and 
wheel  making,  and  various  other  branches  of  skilled  indus- 
try. At  the  same  time,  they  gave  employment  to  a  large 
number  of  the  townspeople,  who  gradually  learned  the  vari- 
ous branches  of  trade  pursued  by  the  foreigners.  In  1676  the 
king  granted  the  weavers  a  charter,  under  which  they  formed 
themselves  into  a  company,  entitled  "The  Masters,  Wardens, 
Assistants,  and  Fellowship  of  Weavers  ;"  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  more  years  they  had  a  thousand  looms  at  work. 

The  exiles  continued  to  prosper  and  the  trade  of  Can- 
terbury to  thrive  until  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  which  was  followed  by  another  immense  influx  of 
refugee  Protestants  from  France  into  various  parts  of  En- 
gland. A  large  number  of  them  settled  in  Spitalfields,  and 
there  established  various  branches  of  the  silk  manufacture  ; 
and  the  advantages  of  concentrating  the  trade  shortly  after 
induced  the  greater  part  of  the  Canterbury  settlers  to  re- 
move to  London.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  French 
church  at  Canterbury  gradually  declined ;  and  though  many 
of  the  French  exiles  and  their  descendants  remained  in  the 
city,  and  are  traceable  to  this  day,  they  have  long  ceased  to 
form  a  distinctive  part  of  the  population. 

But  it  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  the  original 
French  Calvinist  church  still  continues  to  exist  in  Canter- 
bury Cathedral.  Three  hundred  years  have  passed  since  the 
first  body  of  exiled  Walloons  met  to  worshiji  there  —  three 
hundred  years,  during  which  generations  have  come  and 
gone,  and  revolutions  have  swept  over  Europe ;  and  still 
that  eloquent  memorial  of  the  religious  history  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages  survives,  bearing  testimony  alike  to  the  rancor  of 
the  persecutions  abroad,  the  heroic  steadfastness  of  the  for- 
eign Protestants,  the  large  and  liberal  spirit  of  the  English 
Church,  and  the  glorious  asylum  Avhich  England  has  in  aU 


FRENCH  CHURCH,  CANTERBURY.  127 

times  given  to  foreigners  flying  for  refuge  against  oppression 
and  tyranny. 

The  visitor  to  the  cathedral,  in  passing  through  the  Under 
Croft,  has  usually  pointed  out  to  him  the  apartment  still 
used  as  "  the  Fi-ench  church."  It  is  walled  off  from  the 
crypt  in  the  south  side  -  aisle ;  and  through  the  windows 
which  overlook  the  interior  the  arrangements  of  the  place 
can  easily  be  observed.  It  is  plainly  fitted  up  with  pews,  a 
pulpit,  and  precentor's  desk,  like  a  dissenting  place  of  Avor- 
ship ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  a  dissenting  place  of  worship,  though 
forming  part  of  the  High  Cathedral  of  Canterbury.  The 
place  also  contains  a  long  table,  at  which  the  communicants 
sit  when  receiving  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Geneva  brethren. 

And  here  the  worship  still  continues  to  be  conducted  in 
French,  and  the  psalms  are  sung  to  the  old  Huguenot  tunes, 
almost  within  sound  of  the  high  choral  service  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church  of  England  overhead.  "Here,"  says  the  Ger- 
man Dr.  Pauli, "  the  early  refugees  celebrated  the  services  of 
their  church ;  and  here  their  descendants,  who  are  now  re- 
duced to  a  very  small  number,  still  carry  on  their  Presby- 
terian mode  of  worship  in  their  own  tongue,  immediately  be- 
low the  south  aisle  of  the  high  choir,  where  the  Anglican  rit- 
ual is  observed  in  all  its  presciibed  form — a  noble  and  touch- 
ing concurrence,  the  parallel  to  which  can  not  be  met  with 
in  any  other  cathedral  church  in  England."* 

The  French  church  at  Canterbury  would  doubtless  long 
since  have  become  altogether  extinct,  like  the  other  churches 
of  the  refugees,  but  for  an  endowment  of  about  £200  a  year, 
which  has  served  to  keep  it  alive.  The  members  do  not  now 
amount  to  more  than  tAventy,  of  whom  two  are  elders  and 
four  deacons.  But,  though  the  church  has  become  reduced 
to  a  mere  vestige  and  remnant  of  what  it  was,  it  never- 
theless serves  to  mark  an  epoch  of  memorable  importance 
to  England. 

*  Vxvui— Pictures  of  Old  Ewjland,  29. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

RENEWAL    OF    THE    PEESECUTIONS    IX    FRANCE. — REVOCATION 
OF   THE    EDICT    OF    NANTES. 

The  Huguenots  did  not  long  enjoj^  the  privileges  conceded 
to  them  by  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Twelve  years  after  its  pro- 
mulgation by  Henry  IV.,  that  monarch  was  assassinated  by 
Ravaillac,on  which  the  elements  of  discord  again  broke  loose. 
Although  the  edicts  of  toleration  were  formally  proclaimed 
by  his  successor,  they  were  practically  disregarded  and  vio- 
lated. Marie  de  Medicis,  the  queen  regent,  Avas,  like  all  her 
race,  the  bitter  enemy  of  Protestantism.  She  Avas  governed 
by  Italian  favorites,  who  inspired  her  policy.  They  distrib- 
uted among  themselves  the  public  treasure  with  so  lavish  a 
hand  that  the  Parisians  rose  in  insurrection  against  them, 
murdered  Concini,  whom  the  queen  had  created  Marshal 
d'Ancre,  and  afterAvard  burned  his  Avife  as  a  sorceress ;  the 
young  king,  Louis  XHI.,  then  only  about  sixteen  years  old, 
joining  in  the  atrocities. 

Civil  war  shortly  broke  out  between  the  court  and  the 
country  factions,  which  soon  became  embittered  by  the  old 
relio-ious  animosities.  There  was  a  great  massacre  of  the 
Huguenots  in  Beam,  where  their  Avorship  was  suppressed, 
and  the  Roman  Catholic  priests  Avere  installed  in  their  places. 
Other  massacres  folloAved,  and  occasioned  general  alarm 
among  the  Protestants.  In  those  toAvns  where  they  Avere  the 
strongest  they  shut  their  gates  against  the  king's  forces,  and 
determined  to  resist  force  by  force.  In  1621,  the  young  king 
set  out  Avith  his  army  to  reduce  the  revolted  tOAvns,  and  first 
attacked  St.  Jean  d'Angely,  Avhich  he  captured  after  a  siege 
of  tAventy-six  days.     He  next  assailed  Moiitauban,  but,  after 


SIEGE  OF  ROCHELLE.  129 

a  siege  of  two  months,  he  Avas  compelled  to  retire  from  the 
place  defeated,  with  tears  iii  his  eyes. 

In  1G22,  the  king  called  to  his  comicils  Armand  Duplessis 
de  Richelieu,  the  queen's  favorite  adviser,  whom  the  Pope  had 
recently  presented  with  a  cardinal's  hat.  His  force  of  char- 
acter Avas  soon  felt,  and  in  all  affairs  of  government  the  influ- 
ence of  Richelieu  became  supreme.  One  of  the  first  objects 
to  which  he  applied  himself  was  the  suppression  of  the  an- 
archy which  prevailed  throughout  France,  occasioned  in  a 
great  measure  by  the  abuse  of  the  feudal  powers  still  exer- 
cised by  the  ancient  noblesse.  Another  object  which  he  con- 
sidered essential  to  the  unity  and  power  of  France  was  the 
annihilation  of  the  Protestants  as  a  political  party.  Accord- 
ingly, shortly  after  his  accession  to  office,  he  advised  the  at- 
tack ofRochelle,  the  head-quarters  of  the  Huguenots,  and  re- 
garded as  the  citadel  of  Protestantism  in  France.  His  advice 
was  followed,  and  a  powerful  army  was  assembled  and 
marched  on  the  doomed  place,  Richelieu  combining  in  him- 
self the  functions  of  bishop,  prime  minister,  and  commander- 
in-chief  The  Huguenots  of  Rochelle  defended  themselves 
with  great  bravery  for  more  than  a  year,  during  which  they 
endured  the  greatest  privations.  But  their  resistance  was  in 
vain;  for  on  the  •28th  of  October,  1628,  Richelieu  rode  into 
Rochelle  by  the  king's  side,  in  velvet  and  cuirass,  at  the  head 
of  the  royal  army ;  after  which  he  proceeded  to  perform  high 
mass  in  the  great  church  of  St.  Margaret,  in  celebration  of  his 
victory. 

The  siege  of  Rochelle,  while  in  progress,  excited  much  in- 
terest among  the  Protestants  throughout  England,  and  anx- 
ious appeals  were  made  to  Charles  I.  to  send  help  to  the  be- 
sieged. This  he  faithfully  promised  to  do  ;  and  he  dispatched 
a  fleet  and  army  to  their  assistance,  commanded  by  his  favor- 
ite, the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  The  fleet  duly  arrived  off  Ro- 
chelle, and  the  army  landed  on  the  Isle  of  Rhe,  but  were  driv- 
en back  to  their  ships  with  great  slaughter.  Buckingham 
attempted  nothing  farther  on  behalf  of  the  Rochellese.     He 

I 


130  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

returned  to  England  with  a  disgraced  flag  and  a  murmuring 
fleet,  amid  the  general  discontent  of  the  people.  A  second 
expedition  sailed  for  the  relief  of  the  place,  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Earl  of  Lindsay ;  but,  though  the  fleet  arrived  in 
sight  of  Rochelle,  it  sailed  back  to  England  without  even 
making  an  attempt  on  its  behalf.  The  popular  indignation 
rose  to  a  still  greater  height  than  before.  It  was  bruited 
abroad,  and  generally  believed,  that  both  expeditions  had 
been  a  mere  blind  on  the  part  of  Charles  I.,  and  that,  acting 
under  the  influence  of  his  queen,  Henrietta  Maria,  sister  of  the 
French  king,  he  had  never  really  intended  that  Rochelle 
should  be  relieved.  However  this  might  be,  the  failure  was 
disgraceful ;  and  when,  in  later  years,  the  unfortunate  Charles 
was  brought  to  trial  by  his  subjects,  the  abortive  Rochelle 
expeditions  were  bitterly  remembered  against  him. 

Meanwhile  Cai'dinal  Richelieu  vigorously  prosecuted  the 
war  against  the  Huguenots  wherever  they  stood  in  arms 
against  the  king.  His  operations  were  uniformly  successful. 
The  Huguenots  were  every  where  overthrown,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  they  had  ceased  to  exist  as  an  armed 
power  in  France.  Acting  in  a  "vvise  and  tolerant  spirit,  Rich- 
elieu refrained  from  pushing  his  advantage  to  an  extremity  ; 
and  when  all  resistance  was  over,  he  advised  the  king  to  is- 
sue an  edict  granting  freedom  of  worship  and  other  privi- 
leges. The  astute  statesman  was  doubtless  induced  to  adopt 
this  course  by  considerations  of  state  policy,  for  he  had  by 
this  time  entered  into  a  league  with  the  Swedish  and  German 
Protestant  powers  for  the  humiliation  of  the  house  of  Austria, 
and  Avith  that  object  he  sought  to  enlist  the  co-operation  of 
the  king's  Protestant  as  Avell  as  Roman  Catholic  subjects. 
The  result  was,  that,  in  1629,  "the  Edict  of  Pardon"  was  is- 
sued by  Louis  XHL,  granting  to  the  Protestants  various 
rights  and  privileges,  together  with  liberty  of  worship  and 
equality  before  the  law. 

From  this  time  forward  the  Huguenots  ceased  to  exist  as 
a  political  party,  and  were  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the 


LOYALTY  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  131 

people  by  their  religion  only.  Being  no  longer  available  for 
purposes  of  faction,  many  of  the  nobles,  who  had  been  their 
leaders,  fell  away  from  them  and  rejoined  the  old  Church, 
though  a  large  number  of  the  smaller  gentry,  the  merchants, 
manufacturers,  and  skilled  workmen  continued  Protestants 
as  before.  Their  loyal  conduct  fully  justified  the  indulgences 
which  Avere  granted  to  them  by  Richelieu,  and  confirmed  by 
his  successor  Mazarin.  Repeated  attempts  were  made  to  in- 
volve them  in  the  civil  broils  of  the  time,  but  they  sternly 
kept  aloof,  and,  if  they  took  up  arms,  it  was  on  the  side  of  the 
government.  When,  in  1632,  the  Duke  of  Montmorency 
sought,  for  factious  purposes,  to  reawaken  the  religious  pas- 
sions in  Languedoc,  of  which  he  was  governor,  the  Huguenots 
refused  to  join  him.  The  Protestant  inhabitants  of  Montau- 
ban  even  offered  to  march  against  him.  During  the  wars  of 
the  Fronde,  they  sided  with  the  king  against  the  factions. 
Even  the  inhabitants  of  Rochelle  supported  the  regent  against 
their  own  governor.  Cardinal  Mazarin,  then  prime  minister, 
frankly  acknowledged  the  loyalty  of  the  Huguenots.  "  I  have 
no  cause,"  he  said,  "  to  complain  of  the  little  flock  ;  if  they 
browse  on  bad  herbage,  at  least  they  do  not  stray  aAvay." 
Louis  XIV.  himself,  at  the  commencement  of  his  reign,  form- 
ally thanked  them  for  the  consistent  manner  in  which  they 
had  withstood  the  invitations  of  powerful  chiefs  to  resist  the 
royal  authority,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  professed  to  con- 
firm them  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  rights  and  privileges. 

The  Protestants,  however,  continued  to  labor  under  many 
disabilities.  They  were  in  a  great  measure  excluded  from 
civil  office  and  from  political  employment.  They  accordingly 
devoted  themselves  for  the  most  part  to  industrial  pursuits. 
They  were  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  agriculturists,  wine- 
growers, merchants,  and  manufacturers  in  France.  "At  all 
events,"  said  Ambrose  Pare,  one  of  the  most  industrious  men 
of  his  time,  "  posterity  will  not  be  able  to  charge  us  with 
idleness."  No  heavier  crops  were  grown  in  France  than  on 
the  Huguenot  farms  in  Beam  and  the  southwestern  prov- 


132  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

inces.  In  Languecloc,  the  cantons  inhabited  by  the  Protest- 
ants were  the  best  cultivated  and  most  pi'odnctive.  The 
slopes  of  the  Aigoul  and  the  Eperon  were  covered  Avitli  their 
flocks  and  herds.  The  valley  of  Vaunage,  in  the  diocese  of 
Nismes,  where  they  had  more  than  sixty  temples,  Avas  cele- 
brated for  the  richness  of  its  vegetation,  and  was  called  by 
its  inhabitants  "the  Little  Canaan."  The  vine-dressers  of 
Berri  and  the  Pays  Messin,  on  the  Moselle,  restored  those 
districts  to  more  than  their  former  prosperity ;  and  the  dili- 
gence, skill,  and  labor  with  which  they  subdued  the  stubborn 
soil  and  made  it  yield  its  increase  of  flowers  and  fruits,  and 
corn  and  wine,  bore  witness  in  all  quarters  to  the  toil  and 
energy  of  the  men  of  The  Religion. 

The  Huguenots  of  the  towns  were  similarly  industrious 
and  enterprising.  At  Tours  and  Lyons  they  prosecuted  the 
silk  manufacture  with  great  success,  making  taflfetas,  velvets, 
brocades,  ribbons,  and  cloth  of  gold  and  silver,  of  finer  quali- 
ties than  w^ere  then  produced  in  any  other  country  in  Eu- 
rope. They  also  carried  on  the  manufacture  of  fine  cloth  in 
various  parts  of  France,  and  exported  the  article  in  large 
quantities  to  Germany,  Spain,  and  England.*    They  estab- 

*  The  wool  used  in  the  manufiicture  of  the  French  cloth  was,  for  the  most 
])art,  brought  from  England,  notwithstanding  the  heavy  duties  then  levied  on 
its  export.  When  prices  became  excessive,  the  export  was  wholly  prohibit- 
ed. But  this  did  not  prevent  the  smuggling  of  wool  outward  on  a  large 
scale.  It  was  carried  on  all  round  the  coast,  but  principally  by  the  oickrs 
(as  tlie  smugglers  of  wool  were  called)  of  Romney  Marsh.  Men  were  al- 
ways to  be  found  ready  to  risk  their  necks  for  a  shilling  a  day.  The  writer 
of  a  jjamphlet  published  in  1671,  entitled  Ettr/land's  Interest  by  Trade  Assert- 
ed, sJiowiny  the  Necessity  and  Excellency  thereof,  says  :  "  Tiie  methods  or  ways 
of  these  evils  are,  first,  in  Rumny-Marsh  in  Kent,  where  the  greatest  part  of 
rough  wool  is  exported  from  England,  put  aboard  French  shallops  by  night, 
ten  or  twenty  men,  well  armed,  to  guard  it ;  some  other  parts  there  are,  as 
in  Sussex,  Hampshire,  and  Essex,  where  the  same  methods  may  be  used, 
but  not  so  conveniently.  The  same  for  combed  wool  from  Canterbury ;  they 
will  carry  it  ten  or  fifteen  miles  at  night  towards  the  sea,  with  the  like  guard 
as  before"  (p.  IG).  In  two  years  forty  thousand  packs  were  sent  to  Calais 
alone.  The  Romney  Marsh"  men  not  only  shipped  their  own  wool,  but  large 
quantities  brought  from  the  inland  counties.  In  1G77,  Andrew  ]\Iarvel  de- 
scribed the  wool-men  as  a  militia  that,  in  defiance  of  authority,  conveyed 
their  wool  to  the  shallops  in  such  strength  that  the  officers  of  the  crown 
dared  not  oficnd  them.     The  coast-men,  at  siiearing-time,  openly  carried 


THE  HUGUENOT  INDUSTRIES.  133 

lished  magnificent  linen  mannfaetories  at  Vire,  Falaise,  and 
Argentine,  in  Normandy ;  manufactories  of  bleached  cloth 
at  Morlaix,  Landerman,  and  Brest ;  and  manufactories  of 
sail-cloth  at  Rennes,  Nantes,  and  Vitre,  in  Brittany,  great 
part  of  whose  produce  was  exported  to  Holland  and  En- 
gland.* 

The  Huguenots  also  carried  on  large  manufactories  of  pa- 
per in  Auvergne  and  the  Angoumois,  In  the  latter  province 
they  had  no  fewer  than  six  hundred  paper-mills,  and  the  arti- 
cle they  produced  was  the  best  of  its  kind  in  Europe.  The 
mills  at  Ambert  sujiplied  the  paper  on  which  the  choicest 
books  which  emanated  from  the  presses  of  Paris,  as  well  as 
Amsterdam  and  London,  were  then  printed.  The  celebrated 
leather  of  Touraine,  and  the  fine  hats  of  Caudebec,  were  al- 
niost  exclusively  produced  by  the  Protestant  manufacturers, 
who  also  successfully  carried  on,  at  Sedan,  the  fabrication  of 
articles  of  iron  and  steel,  Avhich  were  exported  abroad  in 
large  quantities. 

Perhaps  one  reason  why  the  Huguenots  were  so  successful 

in  conducting  these  great  branches  of  industry  consisted  in 

the  fact  that  their  time  was  much  less  broken  in  upon  by 

saints'  days  and  festival  days,  and  that  their  labor  was  thus 

much  more  continuous,  and  consequently  more  effective,  than 

in  the  case  of  the  Roman  Catholic  portion  of  the  population.! 

their  wool  on  horses'  backs  to  the  sea-shore,  where  French  vessels  were  ready 
to  receive  it,  attaciving  fiercely  any  one  who  ventured  to  interfei'e. 

*  "Such  was  the  extent  of  this  manufacture,"  says  Weiss  (History  of  the 
French  Protestant  Refugees),  "that  the  Englisli  every  year  bought  at  Morlaix 
4,500,000  livres' worth  of  these  cloths — a  fact  verified  by  the  register  of  the 
duties  they  paid  for  the  stamp  on  their  exit  from  the  kingdom."  Indeed, 
the  English  were  at  that  time  among  the  largest  purchasers  of  French  man- 
nfaetures  of  all  kinds.  The  writer  of  a  pamphlet,  entitled  An  Inquiry  into 
the  Revenue,  Credit,  and  Commerce  of  France,  in  a  letter  to  a  Member  of  Par- 
liament (London,  1742),  says  :  "  We  formerly  took  from  France  to  the  value 
of  £600,000  per  annum  in  silks,  velvets,  and  satins;  £700,000  in  linen,  can- 
vas, and  sail-cloth;  £220,000  in  beaver,  demicastor,  and  felt  hats;  and 
400,000  reams  of  paper;  besides  numerous  other  articles." 

+  "The  working  year  of  the  Protestants  consisted  of  310  daj^s,  because 
they  dedicated  to  repose  only  the  fifty-two  Sundays  and  a  few  solemn  festi- 
vals, which  gave  to  their  industry  the  superiority  of  one  sixth  over  that  of  the 
Catholics,  whose  working  year  was  2G0  days,  because  they  devoted  more 
than  10.>  to  rc]-.osc." — Weiss,  Histoi-y  of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees,  27. 


134  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE: 

Besides  this,  however,  the  Protestants  were  ahuost  of  neces- 
sity men  of  stronger  character ;  for  they  had  to  swim  against 
the  stream,  and  hold  by  their  convictions  in  the  face  of  oblo- 
quy, opposition,  and  very  often  of  active  persecution.  The 
suflerings  they  had  endured  for  religion  in  the  past,  and  per- 
haps the  presentiment  of  heavier  trials  in  the  future,  made 
them  habitually  grave  and  solemn  in  theii-  demeanor.  Their 
morals  were  severe  as  their  piety  was  rigid.  Their  enemies 
called  them  sour  and  fanatical,  but  no  one  called  in  question 
their  honesty  and  integrity.*  "  If  the  Nismes  merchants," 
once  Avrote  Baville,  intendant  of  that  province,  and  one  of  the 
bitterest  persecutors  of  the  Protestants,  "  are  bad  Catholics, 
at  any  rate  they  have  not  ceased  to  be  very  good  traders." 
The  Huguenot's  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  to  be 
"  honest  as  a  Huguenot"  passed  into  a  proverb.  This  quali- 
ty of  integrity — which  is  essential  in  the  merchant  who  deals 
with  foreigners  whom  he  never  sees — so  characterized  tlie 
busmess  transactions  of  the  Huguenots,  that  the  foreign  trade 

*  It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  while  the  Huguenots  were  stigmatized,  in  con- 
temporary Roman  Catliolic  writing?,  as  "heretics,"  "atheists,"  "blasphem- 
ers," "monsters  vomited  forth  of  hell,"  and  the  like,  not  a  word  is  to  be 
found  in  them  as  to  their  morality  and  integrity  of  character.  The  silence 
of  their  enemies  on  this  head  is  perliaps  the  most  eloquent  testimony  in  their 
favor. 

What  the  Puritan  was  in  England,  and  the  Covenanter  in  Scotland,  that 
the  Huguenot  was  in  France ;  and  that  the  system  of  Calvin  should  have 
developed  precisely  the  same  kind  of  men  in  these  three  several  countries, 
atfords  a  remarkable  illustration  of  the  power  of  religious  training  in  the 
formation  of  character. 

The  French  Protestants'  Confession  of  Faith,  framed  in  1559,  was  based 
on  that  of  Geneva.  Two  sacraments  only  were  recognized — Baptism  and 
the  Lord's  Supper.  Christ  crucified  was  the  centre  of  their  faith,  tlieir  car- 
dinal doctrines  being  justification  by  faith  and  Christ  the  only  mediator  with 
the  Father. 

The  Huguenot  form  of  worship  was  simple,  consisting  in  prayer  and  praise, 
followed  by  exhortation.  The  sermon  was  a  principal  feature  in  the  French 
Protestant  service,  and  their  ministers  were  chosen  principally  because  of 
their  ability  as  preachers. 

Their  church  government  resembled  that  of  the  Scotch  Church,  being  based 
on  popular  election.  Each  congregation  was  governed  by  its  conslstoire  or 
kirk-session ;  the  congregations  elected  deputies,  lay  and  clerical,  to  repre- 
sent them  in  the  provincial  synod,  and  collogue  or  provincial  assembly ;  and, 
finally,  the  wliolc  congregations  of  France  were  represented  in  like  manner 
by  delegates  in  the  Synode  Nationale,  or  General  Assembly. 


POLICY  OF  COLBERT.  13r> 

of  the  country  fell  almost  entirely  into  their  hands.  The 
English  and  Dutch  were  always  found  more  ready  to  open  a 
correspondence  with  them  than  with  the  Roman  Catholic 
merchants,  though  religious  affinity  may  possibly  have  had 
some  influence  in  determining  the  preference.  And  thus  at 
Bordeaux,  at  Rouen,  at  Caen,  at  Metz,  at  Nismes,  and  the 
other  great  centres  of  commerce,  the  foreign  business  of 
France  came  to  be  almost  entirely  conducted  by  the  Hugue- 
not merchants. 

Tlie  enlightened  minister  Colbert  gave  every  encourage- 
ment to  these  valuable  subjects.  Entertaining  the  convic- 
tion that  the  strength  of  states  consisted  in  the  number,  the 
intelligence,  and  the  industry  of  their  citizens,  he  labored  in 
all  ways  to  give  effect  to  this  idea.  He  encouraged  the 
French  to  extend  their  manufactures,  and  at  the  same  time 
held  out  inducements  to  skilled  foreign  artisans  to  settle  iu 
tlie  kingdom  and  establish  new  branches  of  industry.  The 
invitation  was  accepted,  and  considerable  numbers  of  Dutch 
and  Walloon  Protestants  came  across  the  frontier  and  settled 
as  cloth  manufacturers  in  the  northern  provinces.  Colbert 
was  the  friend,  so  far  as  he  dared  to  be,  of  the  Huguenots, 
wliose  industry  he  encouraged,  as  the  most  effective  means 
of  enriching  France,  and  enabling  the  nation  to  recover  from 
the  injuries  inflicted  upon  it  by  the  devastations  and  perse- 
cutions of  the  preceding  century.  With  that  object,  he 
granted  privileges,  patents,  monopolies,  bounties,  and  honors, 
after  the  old-fashioned  method  of  protecting  industry.  Some 
of  these  expedients  were  more  harassing  than  prudent.  One 
merchant,  when  consulted  by  Colbert  as  to  the  best  means 
of  encouraging  commerce,  answered  curtly,  "  Laissez  faire  et 
laissez  passer :"  "  Let  us  alone  and  let  our  goods  pass" — a 
])iece  of  advice  which  was  not  then  appreciated  or  followed. 

Colbert  also  applied  himself  to  the  improvement  of  the  in- 
ternal communications  of  the  country.  With  his  active  as- 
sistance and  co-o}ieration,  Riquet  de  Bonrepos  was  enabled 
to  construct  the  magnificent  ca:ial  of  Languedoc,  which  con- 


1 36  RENE  WED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

nected  the  Bay  of  Biscay  -with  the  Mediterranean.*  lie  re- 
stored tlie  old  roads  of  the  country  and  constructed  new 
ones.  He  established  free  ports,  sent  consuls  to  the  Levant, 
and  secured  a  large  trade  with  the  Mediterranean.  He 
bought  Dunkirk  and  Mardyke  from  Charles  H.  of  England,  to 
the  disgust  of  the  English  people.  He  founded  dock-yards 
at  Brest,  Toulon,  and  Rochefort.  He  created  the  French 
navy ;  and,  instead  of  possessing  only  a  few  old  ships  lying 
rotting  in  harbors,  in  the  course  of  thirty  years  France  came 
to  possess  190  vessels,  of  which  120  were  ships  of  the  line. 

Colbert,  Avithal,  was  an  honest  man.  His  predecessor  Maz- 
arin  had  amassed  a  gigantic  fortune,  Avhile  Colbert  died  pos- 
sessed of  a  modest  fortune,  the  fruits  of  long  labor  and  rigid 
economy.  His  administration  of  the  finances  was  admirable. 
When  he  assumed  office,  the  state  was  overburdened  by  debt 
and  all  but  bankrupt.  The  public  books  -were  in  an  inextri- 
cable state  of  confusion.  His  first  object  was  to  get  rid 
of  the  debt  by  an  arbitrary  composition,  which  Avas  tanta- 
mount to  an  act  of  bankruptcy.  He  simplified  the  public 
accounts,  economized  the  collection  of  the  taxes,  cut  off  un- 
necessary expenditure,  and  reduced  the  direct  taxation,  jDlac- 
ing  his  chief  dependence  upon  indirect  taxes  on  articles  of 
consumption.  After  thirty  years'  labor,  he  succeeded  in 
raising  the  revenue  from  thirty-two  millions  of  livres  to  nine- 
ty-two millions  net — one  half  only  of  the  increase  being  due 
to  additional  taxation,  the  other  half  to  better  order  and 
economy  in  the  collection. 

At  the  same  time,  Colbert  was  public-spirited  and  gener- 
ous. He  encouraged  literature  and  the  arts,  as  well  as  agri- 
culture and  commerce.  He  granted  £160,000  in  pensions  to 
men  of  letters  and  science,  among  whom  we  find  the  names 
of  the  two  Corneilles,  Moli^re,  Racine,  l\'rrault,  and  Mezerai. 
Nor  did  he  confine  his  liberality  to  the  distinguished  men  of 
France,  for  he  was  equally  liberal  to  foreigners  who  had  set- 

*  For  an  account  of  this  great  work,  and  Colbert's  part  in  it,  see  Brindloj 
and  the  Earhj  Enr/ineers,  p.  301. 


POLICY  OF  COLBERT.  137 

tied  in  the  country.  Thus  Huyghens,  the  distinguished 
Dutch  natural  philosopher,  and  Vossius,  the  geographer, 
were  among  his  list  of  pensioners.  He  granted  £208,000  to 
the  Gobelins  and  other  manufactures  in  Paris,  besides  other 
donations  to  those  in  the  provinces.  He  munificently  sup- 
ported the  Paris  Observatories,  and  contributed  to  found  the 
Academy  of  Inscriptions,  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  the 
Academy  of  Painting  and  Sculpture.  In  short,  Colbert  was 
one  of  the  most  enlightened,  sagacious,  liberal,  and  honorable 
ministers  who  ever  served  a  monarch  or  a  nation. 

But  behind  the  splendid  ordonnances  of  Colbert  there 
stood  a  superior  power,  the  master  of  France  himself — "  the 
Most  Christian  King,"  Louis  XIV.  Richelieu  and  Mazarin 
had,  by  crushing  all  other  powers  in  the  state — nobles,  Par- 
liament, and  people — 2)repared  the  way  for  the  reign  of  this 
most  absolute  and  uncontrolled  of  French  monarchs.*  He 
Avas  proud,  ambitious,  fond  of  power,  and  believed  himself  to 
be  the  greatest  of  men.  He  would  have  every  thing  centre 
in  the  king's  majesty.  At  the  death  of  Mazarin  in  16G1, 
when  his  ministers  asked  to  whom  tliey  were  thenceforward 
to  address  themselves,  his  reply  was,  "  A  moi."  The  well- 
known  saying,  "  L'etat,  c'est  moi,"  belongs  to  him.  And  his 
people  took  him  at  his  Avord.  They  bowed  down  before  him 
— rank,  talent,  and  beauty  —  and  vied  with  each  other  who 
should  bow  the  lowest. 

While  Colbert  Avas  striving  to  restore  the  finances  of 
France  by  the  peaceful  development  of  its  industry,  the 
magnificent  king,  his  mind  far  aboA^e  mercantile  considera- 
tions, Avas  bent  on  achieving  glory  by  the  conquest  of  adjoin- 
ing territories.  Thus,  while  the  minister  was,  in  1G68,  en- 
gaged in  laboriously  organizing  his  commercial  system,  Louis 

*  The  engrained  absolutism  and  egotism  of  Louis  XIV.,  M.  Feuiliet  con- 
tends, were  at  their  acme  from  iiis  earliest  years.  In  the  juiblic  library  at 
St.  Petersburg,  under  a  glass  case,  may  be  seui  one  of  .the  co])y-books  in 
which  he  practiced  writing  when  a  child.  Instead  of  sucli  maxims  as  "  Evil 
communications  corrupt  good  niannei's,"  or  "Virtue  is  its  own  reward,"  tiio 
copy  set  for  him  was  this:  "  Les  rois  font  tout  ce  qu'ils  veulent." — Edin. 
Review. 


138  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

wrote  to  Charles  11,  ^-ith  the  air  of  an  Alexander  the  Great, 
saying,  "  If  the  English  are  satisfied  to  be  the  merchants  of 
the  world,  and  leave  me  to  conquer  it,  the  matter  can  be  easi- 
ly arranged :  of  the  commerce  of  the  globe,  three  parts  to 
England,  and  one  pait  to  France."*  Nor  was  this  a  mere 
whim  of  the  king ;  it  was  the  fixed  idea  of  his  life. 

Louis  went  to  Avar  with  Spain.  He  overran  Flanders, 
won  victories,  and  France  ])iai\  for  the  glory  in  an  increase 
of  taxes.  He  next  made  war  with  Holland.  There  Avere 
more  battles,  and  less  glory,  but  the  same  inevitable  taxes. 
War  in  Germany  followed,  during  which  there  Avere  the 
great  sieges  of  Besancon,  Salin,  and  Dole ;  though  this  time 
there  Avas  no  glory.  Again  Colbert  Avas  appealed  to  for 
money.  But  France  had  already  been  taxed  almost  to  the 
utmost.  The  king  told  the  minister  in  1673  that  he  must 
find  sixty  millions  of  livres  more ;  "  if  he  did  not,  another 
would!'''  Thus  the  Avar  had  become  a  question  mainly  of 
money,  and  money  Colbert  must  find.  Forced  loans  Avere 
then  had  recourse  to,  the  taxes  Avere  increased,  honors  and 
places  AA'cre  sold,  and  the  money  Avas  eventually  raised. 

The  extravagance  of  Louis  kneAv  no  bounds.  Versailles 
Avas  pulled  doAvn,  and  rebuilt  at  enormous  cost.  Immense 
sums  Avere  lavished  in  carrying  out  the  designs  of  Vauban, 
and  France  Avas  surrounded  Avith  a  belt  of  three  hundred  for- 
tresses. Various  other  spendthrift  scliemes  were  set  on  foot, 
iintil  Louis  had  accumulated  a  debt  equal  to  £100,000,000 
sterling.  Colbert  at  last  succumbed,  crushed  in  body  and 
mind.  He  died  in  1G83,  Avorn  out  Avith  toil,  mortified  and 
lieart-broken  at  the  failure  of  all  liis  plans.  The  people,  en- 
raged at  the  taxes  Avhich  oppressed  them,  laid  the  blame 
at  the  door  of  the  minister ;  and  his  corpse  Avas  bui'ied  at 
night,  attended  by  a  military  escort  to  protect  it  from  the 
fury  of  the  mob.f 

*  MiGNET — Negoc.  de  la  ^Sticceas.  d'Esp.,  iii.,  G3. 

+  II  ctait  mort  dc  la  mine  publiquc,  niort  dc  ue  pouvoir  lien  et  d'avoir 
perdu  respe'rance.  On  liii  cherchait  dc  querelles  ridicules.  Lo  roi  liii  rc- 
prochait  la  depensc  dc  Versailles,  fait  malgrc'  lui.     II  lui  citait  Louvois,  ces 


THE  KIN  Li  S  ENMITY  TO  THE  HUGUENOTS.  133 

Colbert  did  not  live  to  witness  the  more  disgraceful  events 
which  characterized  the  later  part  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIY. 
The  wars  which  that  monarch  waged  with  Spain,  Germany, 
and  Holland,  for  conquest  and  glory,  Avere  carried  on  against 
men  with  arms  in  their  hands,  capable  of  defending  them- 
se'lves.  But  the  wars  which  he  waged  against  his  own  sub- 
jects— the  dragonnades  and  jjersecutions  wdiich  preceded  and 
followed  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  of  which  the 
victims  were  defenseless  men,  women,  and  children  —  were 
simply  ferocious  and  barbarous,  and  must  ever  attach  the 
reputation  of  Infamous  to  the  name  of  Louis  XIV.,  in  history 
miscalled  "The  Great." 

One  of  the  king's  first  acts,  on  assuming  the  supreme  con- 
trol of  affairs  at  the  death  of  Mazarin,  was  significant  of  his 
future  policy  with  regard  to  the  Huguenots.  Among  the 
representatives  of  the  various  public  bodies  Avho  came  to 
tender  him  their  congratulations,  there  appeared  a  deputa- 
tion of  Protestant  ministers,  headed  by  their  president  Vig- 
nole  ;  but  the  king  refused  to  receive  them,  and  directed  that 
they  should  be  ordered  to  leave  Paris  forthwith.  Louis  Avas 
not  slow  to  folloAv  up  this  intimation  by  measures  of  a  more 
positive  kind,  for  he  had  been  carefully  taught  to  hate  Prot- 
estantism ;  and,  now  that  he  possessed  unrestrained  power, 
he  flattered  himself  Avith  the  idea  of  compelling  the  Hugue- 
nots to  abandon  their  convictions  and  adopt  his  oavu.  His 
minister  Louvois  Avrote  to  the  goA'ernors  throughout  the 
provinces  that  "  his  majesty  Avill  not  sufler  any  person  in  his 
kingdom  but  those  Avho  are  of  his  religion ;"  and  orders  Avere 
shortly  after  issued  that  Protestantism  must  cease  to  exist, 
and  that  the  Huguenots  must  every  Avhere  conform  to  the 
royal  Avill. 

travaux  de  nia9onncrie  et  dcs  trancliec's  faits  pour  rien  par  le  soldat,  le  pay- 
san,  comme  si  les  travaux  d'art  d'uii  jialais  etaient  ineme  chose.  II  I'acheva 
on  le  querillant  sur  le  prix  de  la  grille  de  Versailles.  Colbert  rcutra,  s'alita, 
ne  se  leva  pas.  .  .  .  L'immensc  malediction  sons  laquelle  il  niourair, 
le  troubla  a  son  lit  de  niort.  Un  Icttre  du  roi  lui  vint,  ct  il  ne  voulat  jias  la 
lire:  "  Si  j'avais  fait  pour  Dieu,"dit  il,  "cc  que  j"ai  fait  pour  cet  homme,  je 
serais  siir  d'etre  sauve',  et  je  ne  sais  pas  oil  je  vais  .  .  .  ." — Michelet — ■ 
Louis  XIV.,  ^.  276-282. 


UO  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

A  series  of  edicts  Avas  accordingly  published  with  the  ob- 
ject of  carrying  the  king's  purjjoses  into  effect.  The  confer- 
ences of  the  Protestants  were  declared  to  be  suppressed. 
Though  worship  Avas  still  jDerniitted  in  their  churches,  the 
singing  of  psalms  in  private  dwellings  was  declared  to  be 
forbidden.  Spies  were  sent  among  them,  to  report  the  terms 
on  which  the  Huguenot  pastors  spoke  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic religion,  and  if  any  fault  could  be  found  with  them,  they 
were  cited  before  the  tribunals  for  blasphemy.  The  priests 
were  authorized  to  enter  the  chambers  of  sick  Protestants, 
and  entreat  them  whether  they  would  be  converted  or  die  in 
their  heresy.  Protestant  children  were  invited  to  declare 
themselves  against  the  religion  of  their  parents.  Boys  of 
fourteen  and  girls  of  twelve  years  old  might,  on  embracing 
Roman  Catholicism,  become  enfranchised  and  entirely  free 
from  parental  control.  In  that  case  the  parents  were  further 
required  to  place  and  maintain  their  children  in  any  Roman 
Catholic  school  into  which  they  might  wish  to  go.* 

The  Huguenots  were  again  debarred  from  holding  ])ublic 
offices,  though  a  few,  such  as  Marshal  Turenne  and  Adniiml 
Duquesne,  who  were  Protestants,  broke  tlirough  this  barrier 
by  the  splendor  of  their  services  to  the  state.  In  some  prov- 
inces, the  exclusion  was  so  severe  that  a  profession  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith  was  required  from  simple  artisans — 
shoemakers,  carpenters,  and  the  like — before  they  were  })er- 
mitted  to  labor  at  their  callings.f 

Colbert,  while  he  lived,  endeavored  to  restrain  the  king, 
and  to  abate  these  intolerable  persecutions,  which  dogged 
the  Hnguenots  at  every  step.     He  continued  to  employ  tlicm 

*  Ordinance  of  24th  March,  1661. 

t  A  hidicroiis  instance  of  this  occurred  at  Paris,  where  tlie  corporation  of 
laundresses  laid  a  remonstrance  hefore  the  council  tliat  their  community, 
having  been  instituted  by  St.  Louis,  could  not  admit  lurctics,  and  this  rec- 
lamation was  gravely  confirmed  by  a  decree  of  the  21st  of  August,  16C.'). 
The  corporation  nevertheless  notoriously  contained  ninny  abandoned  women, 
but  the  orthodox  laundresses  were  more  distressed  by  heresy  than  by  juofli- 
gacy. — Die  Felice — History  of  i/ic  Protestants  of  Fntnce,  ]).  2dG — Transl., 
London,  1853. 


THE  PERSECUTION  RENE  WED.  14 1 

ill  the  departments  of  finance,  finding  no  honester  nor  abler 
servants.  He  also  encouraged  the  merchants  and  manufac- 
turers to  perse^'ere  in  their  industrial  oijerations,  which  lie 
regarded  as  essential  to  the  prosperity  and  well-being  of  the 
kingdom.  He  took  the  opi^ortunity  of  cautioning  the  king 
lest  the  measures  he  was  enforcing  might  tend,  if  carried  out, 
to  the  impoverishment  of  P^'rance  and  the  aggrandizement  of 
her  rivals.  "  I  am  sorry  to  say  it,"  said  he  to  Louis,  "  that 
too  many  of  your  majesty's  subjects  are  already  among  your 
neighbors  as  footmen  and  valets  for  their  daily  bread ;  many 
of  the  artisans,  too,  are  fled  from  the  severity  of  your  collect- 
ors ;  they  are  at  this  time  improving  the  manufactures  of 
your  enemies."  But  all  Colbert's  expostulations  Avere  in 
vain ;  the  Jesuits  were  stronger  than  he  was,  and  the  king- 
was  in  their  hands ;  besides,  Colbert's  power  was  on  the  de- 
cline, and  he,  too,  had  to  succumb  to  the  will  of  his  royal 
master,  who  would  not  relieve  even  the  highest  genius 
from  that  absolute  submission  which  he  required  from  his 
courtiers. 

Ill  1666  the  queen-mother  died,  leaving  to  her  son,  as  her 
last  bequest,  that  he  should  suppress  and  exterminate  heresy 
M'ithin  his  dominions.  The  king  knew  that  he  had  often 
grieved  his  royal  mother  by  his  notorious  licentiousness,  and 
he  was  now  ready  to  atone  for  the  wickedness  of  his  past  life 
by  obeying  her  Avishes.  The  Bishop  of  Meaux  exhorted  him 
to  press  on  in  the  path  his  sainted  mother  had  pointed  out  to 
him.  "  Oh  kings  !"  said  he,  "  exercise  your  poAver  boldly,  for 
it  is  divine — ye  are  gods !"  Louis  was  not  slack  in  obeying 
the  injunction,  which  so  completely  fell  in  with  liis  own  ideas 
of  royal  omnipotence. 

Tlie  Huguenots  had  already  taken  alarm  at  the  renewal 
of  the  persecution,  and  such  of  them  as  could  readily  dis- 
pose of  their  property  and  goods  Avere  beginning  to  leave 
the  kingdom  in  considerable  numbers  for  the  purpose  of  es- 
tablishing themselves  in  foreign  countries.  To  prevent  this, 
the  king  issued  an  edict  forbidding  French  subjects  from 


U2  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

proceeding  abroad  without  express  permission,  under  pen- 
alty of  confiscation  of  their  goods  and  property.  This  was 
followed  by  a  succession  of  severe  measures  for  the  conver- 
sion or  extirpation  of  such  of  the  Protestants — in  numbers 
about  a  million  and  a  half — as  had  not  by  tl^is  time  con- 
trived to  make  their  escape  from  the  kingdom.  The  kidnap- 
ping of  Protestant  children  was  actively  set  on  foot  by  the 
agents  of  the  Roman  Catholic  priests,  and  their  parents  were 
subjected  to  heavy  penalties  if  they  ventured  to  complain. 
Orders  were  issued  to  pull  doAvn  the  Protestant  places  of 
worship,  and  as  many  as  eighty  were  shortly  destroyed  in 
one  diocese, 

Tlie  Huguenots  offered  no  resistance.  All  that  they  did 
was  to  meet  together  and  pray  that  the  king's  heart  might 
yet  be  softened  toward  them.  Blow  upon  blow  followed. 
Protestants  were  forbidden  to  print  books  without  the  au- 
thority of  magistrates  of  the  Romish  communion.  Protest- 
ant teachers  were  interdicted  from  teaching  children  any 
thing  more  than  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic.  Such  pas- 
tors as  held  meetings  amid  the  ruins  of  the  churches  Avhich 
had  been  pulled  down  Avere  condemned  to  do  penance  Avith 
a  rojDC  round  their  neck,  after  which  they  were  to  be  banish- 
ed the  kingdom.  Protestants  Avere  only  alloAved  to  bury 
their  dead  at  daybreak  or  at  nightfall.  They  Avere  prohib- 
ited from  singing  psalms  on  land  or  on  water,  in  Avorkshops 
or  in  dAvellings.  If  a  priestly  jji-ocession  passed  one  of  their 
churches  Avhile  the  psalms  Avere  being  sung,  they  must  stop 
instantly  on  pain  of  the  fine  or  imprisonment  of  the  officia- 
ting minister. 

In  short,  from  the  pettiest  annoyance  to  the  most  exasper- 
ating cruelty,  nothing  Avas  Avanting  on  the  part  of  the  "Most 
Christian  King"  and  his  abettors.  Their  intention  probably 
was  to  exasperate  the  Huguenots  into  open  resistance,  Avith 
the  object  of  finding  a  pretext  for  a  second  massacre  of  St. 
BartholomcAv.  But  the  Huguenots  Avould  not  be  exasper- 
ated.    They  bore  their  trials  bravely  and  pa' iently,  hoping 


MADA3fi:  DE  JIAINTUNOX.  143 

and  praying  that  the  king's  heart  would  yet  relent,  and  that 
they  might  still  be  permitted  to  worship  God  according  to 
conscience. 

All  their  patience  and  resignation  were  however  in  vain, 
and  from  day  to  day  the  persecution  became  more  oppressive 
and  intolerable.  In  the  intervals  of  his  scandalous  amours 
the  king  held  conferences  with  his  spiritual  directors,  to 
whom  he  was  from  time  to  time  driven  by  bilious  disease 
and  the  fear  of  death.  He  forsook  Madame  de  la  Valliere 
for  Madame  de  Montespan,  and  Madame  de  Montespan  for 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  ever  and  anon  taking  counsel  with 
his  Jesuit  confessor,  Pere  La  Chaise.  Madame  de  Maintenon 
was  the  instrument  of  the  latter,  and  between  the  two  the 
"  conversion"  of  the  king  Avas  believed  to  be  imminent.  In 
his  recurring  attacks  of  illness  his  conscience  became  increas- 
ingly uneasy;  confessor  and  mistress  co-operated  in  turning 
his  moroseness  to  account ;  and  it  Avas  observed  that  every 
royal  attack  of  bile  was  followed  by  some  new  edict  of  per- 
secution against  the  Huguenots. 

Madame  de  Maintenon,  the  last  favorite,  was  the  widow 
of  Scarron,  the  deformed  wit  and  scoffer.  She  belonged  to 
the  celebrated  Huguenot  family  of  D'Aubigny,  her  grandfa- 
ther having  been  one  of  the  most  devoted  followers  of  Hen- 
ry IV.  Her  father  led  a  profligate  life,  but  she  herself  was 
brought  up  in  the  family  faith.  A  Roman  Catholic  relative, 
however,  acting  on  the  authority  conferred  by  the  royal  edict 
of  abducting  Protestant  children,  had  the  girl  forcibly  con- 
veyed to  the  convent  of  Ursulines  at  Niort,  from  which  she 
was  transferred  to  the  Ursulines  at  Paris,  where,  after  some 
resistance,  she  abjured  her  faith  and  became  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic. She  left  the  convent  to  enter  the  world  through  Scar- 
ron's  door.  When  the  witty  cripple  married  her,  he  said 
"  his  bride  had  brought  with  her  an  annual  income  of  four 
louis,  two  large  and  very  mischievous  e^'es,  a  fine  bust,  an  ex- 
quisite pair  of  hands,  and  a  large  amount  of  wit." 

Scarron's  house  was  the  resort  of  the  gayest  and  loosest  as 


144  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

well  as  the  most  accomplished  persons  of  tlie  time,  and  there 
his  young  wife  acquired  that  knowledge  of  the  world,  and 
conversational  accomplishment,  and  probably  social  ambi- 
tion, which  she  afterward  turned  so  artfully  and  unscrupu- 
lously to  account.  One  of  her  intimate  friends  was  tht  no- 
torious Ninon  de  I'Enclos,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  the 
sight  of  that  woman,  courted  by  the  fashionable  world  after 
thirty  years  of  polished  profligacy,  exercised  a  powerful  in- 
fluence on  the  subsequent  career  of  Madame  Scarron. 

At  Scarron's  death,  his  young  widow  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining the  post  of  governess  to  the  children  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  the  king's  then  mistress,  whom  she  speedily  su- 
perseded. She  secured  a  footing  in  the  king's  chamber,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  queen,  Avho  was  dying  by  inches,"*  and 
by  her  adroitness,  tact,  and  pretended  devotion,  she  contrived 
to  exercise  an  extraordinary  influence  over  Louis — so  much 
so  that  at  length  even  the  priests  could  only  obtain  access 
to  him  through  her.  She  undertook  to  assist  them  in  etlect- 
ing  his  "conversion,"  and  labored  at  the  work  four  hours  a 
day,  reporting  progress  from  time  to  time  to  Pere  la  Chaise, 
his  confessor.  She  early  discovered  the  king's  rooted  hatred 
toward  the  Huguenots,  and  conformed  herself  to  it  accord- 
ingly, increasing  her  influence  over  hira  by  artfully  fanning 
the  flames  of  his  fury  against  her  quondam  co-religionists  ; 
and  fiercer  and  fiercer  edicts  were  issued  against  them  in 
quick  succession. 

Before  the  extremest  measures  were  however  resorted  to, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  buy  over  the  Protestants  wholesale. 
The  king  consecrated  to  this  traflic  one  third  of  the  revenue 
of  the  benefices  which  fell  to  the  crown  during  the  period  of 
their  vacancy,  and  the  fund  became  very  large  through  the 
benefices  being  purposely  left  vacant.     A  "  converted"  IIu- 

*  Le  roi  tna  la  rcine,  comme  Colbert,  sans  s'cn  apercevoir Elle 

mourut  (30  juillet,  1683).  Madame  de  MaiiUenon  la  qiiittait  cxinrec  et 
sortait  de  la  cliambve,  lorsque  M.  de  la  Rochefoucauld  la  prit  par  les  bras, 
lui  dit :  "  Lc  roi  a  besoin  dc  vous."  Et  il  la  poussa  cbez  le  roi.  A  I'instant 
tous  lc  deux  iiuvtirent  pour  Saint-Cloud. — Miciielet,  273-4. 


THE  DRAGONNADES.  U5 

gueiiot  named  Pelisson  was  employed  to  administer  the  fund, 
and  he  published  long  lists  of  "  conversions"  in  the  Gazette^ 
but  he  concealed  the  fact  that  the  takers  of  his  bribes  be- 
longed to  the  dregs  of  the  people.  At  length  many  were 
detected  undergoing  "  conversion"  several  times  over,  upon 
Avhich  a  proclamation  was  published  that  i^ersons  found  guil- 
ty of  this  oifense  would  have  their  goods  and  property  for- 
feited, and  be  sentenced  to  perpetual  banishment. 

The  great  body  of  the  Huguenots  remaining  immovable 
and  refusing  to  be  converted,  it  was  found  necessary  to  re- 
sort to  more  violent  measures.  They  were  next  attacked  in 
their  tenderest  place — through  their  affections.  Children  of 
seven  years  old  were  empowered  to  leave  their  parents  and 
become  converted ;  and  many  Avere  forcibly  abducted  from 
their  homes,  and  immured  in  convent-prisons  for  education  in 
the  Romish  faith  at  the  expense  of  their  parents.  Another 
exquisite  stroke  of  cruelty  followed.  While  Huguenots  as 
conformed  were  declared  to  be  exempt  from  supplying  quar- 
ters for  the  soldiery,  the  obstinate  and  unconverted  Avere  or- 
dered to  have  an  extra  number  quartered  on  them.  Louvois 
wrote  to  Marillac,  intendant  of  Poitou,  in  March,  1681,  that  he 
was  about  to  send  a  regiment  of  horse  into  that  province. 
"  His  majesty,"  he  said,  "  has  heard  with  much  joy  of  the 
great  number  of  persons  who  continue  to  be  converted  ia 
your  department.  He  wishes  you  to  persist  in  your  endeav- 
ors, and  desires  that  the  greater  number  of  horsemen  and 
officers  should  be  billeted  upon  the  Protestants.  If,  accord- 
ing to  a  just  distribution,  ten  would  be  quartered  upon  the 
members  of  the  Reformed  religion,  you  may  order  them  to 
accommodate  twenty."*  The  opposition  of  Colbert  for  a 
time  delayed  the  execution  of  this  project,  but  not  for  long. 
It  was  the  first  attempt  at  the  dragonnades. 

Two  years  later,  in  1683,  the  year  of  Colbert's  death,  the 
military  executions  began.  Pity,  terror,  and  anguish  had  by 
turns  agitated  the  minds  of  the  Protestants,  until  at  length 
*  De  Felice — History  of  the  Protestants  of  Frarice,  p.  315. 

K 


146  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

they  were  reduced  to  a  state  almost  of  despair.  Life  was 
made  almost  intolerable  to  them.  All  careers  were  closed 
against  them,  and  Protestants  of  the  working  class  were  un- 
der the  necessity  of  abjuring  or  starving.  The  mob,  observ- 
ing that  the  Protestants  were  no  longer  within  the  pale  of 
the  laAV,  took  the  opportunity  of  Avreaking  all  manner  of  out- 
rages on  them.  They  broke  into  their  churches,  tore  up  the 
benches,  and,  jDlacing  the  Bibles  and  hymn-books  in  a  pile, 
set  the  whole  on  fire ;  the  authorities  usually  setting  their 
sanction  on  the  proceedings  of  the  rioters  by  banishing  tlie 
burned-out  ministers,  and  interdicting  the  further  celebration 
of  worship  in  the  destroyed  churches. 

The  Huguenots  of  Dauphiny  were  at  last  stung  into  a 
show  of  resistance,  and  furnished  the  king  with  the  pretext 
which  he  wanted  for  ordering  a  general  slaughter  of  those 
of  his  subjects  who  would  not  be  "  converted"  to  his  religion. 
A  large  congregation  of  Huguenots  assembled  one  day  amid 
the  ruins  of  a  wrecked  church  to  celebrate  worship  and  pray 
for  the  king.  The  Roman  Catholics  thereupon  raised  the 
alarm  that  this  meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing a  rebellion.  The  spark  thus  kindled  in  Dauphiny  burst 
into  flame  in  the  Viverais  and  even  in  Languedoc,  and  troops 
Avere  brought  from  all  quarters  to  crush  the  apprehended 
outbreak.  Meanwhile  the  Huguenots  continued  to  hold 
their  religious  meetings,  and  a  number  of  them  were  found 
one  day  assembled  outside  Bordeaux,  Avhere  they  had  met  to 
pray.  There  the  dragoons  fell  upon  them,  cutting  down 
hundreds,  and  dispersing  the  rest.  "  It  was  a  mere  butch- 
ei*y,"  says  Rulhi(^rcs,  "  without  the  show  of  a  combat."  Sev- 
eral were  apprehended  and  offered  pardon  if  they  would  ab- 
jure ;  but  they  refused,  and  were  hanged. 

Noailles,  then  governor,  seized  tlic  opportunity  of  advanc- 
ing himself  in  the  royal  favor  by  ordering  a  general  massacre. 
He  obeyed  to  the  letter  the  cruel  orders  of  Louvois,  the 
king's  minister,  who  prescribed  desolntioi}.  Cruelty  raged 
for  a  time  uncontrolled  from  Grenoble  to  Bordeaux.     There 


PERSECUTION  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  147 

were  massacres  in  the  Viverais  and  massacres  in  the  Ceven- 
nes.  An  entire  army  had  converged  on  Nismes,  and  there 
Avas  so  horrible  a  dragonnade  that  the  city  was  "  converted"- 
in  twenty-four  hours.  Noailles  wrote  to  the  king  that  there 
had  indeed  been  some  slight  disorder,  but  that  every  thing 
had  been  conducted  with  great  judgment  and  discipline,  and 
he  promised  wnth  his  head  that  before  the  next  25th  of  No- 
vember there  would  be  no  more  Huguenots  in  Languedoc.'-' 

Like  cruelties  followed  all  over  France.  More  Protestant 
churches  Avere  j^ulled  down,  and  the  property  that  belonged 
to  them  was  confiscated  for  the  benefit  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic hospitals.  Many  of  the  Huguenot  land-owners  had  al- 
ready left  the  kingdom,  and  others  were  preparing  to  follow 
them.  But  this  did  not  suit  the  views  of  the  monarch  and 
his  advisers;  and  the  ordinances  were  ordered  to  be  put  in 
force  Avhich  interdicted  emigration,  with  the  addition  of  con- 
demnation to  the  galleys  for  life  of  heads  of  families  found 
attempting  to  escape,  and  a  fine  of  three  thousand  livres 
against  any  person  found  encouraging  or  assisting  them.  By 
the  same  ordinance  all  contracts  for  the  sales  of  property 
made  by  the  Reformed  one  year  before  the  date  of  their  em 
igration  were  declared  nullified.  The  consequence  was  that 
many  landed  estates  were  seized  and  sold,  of  which  Madame 
de  Maintenon,  the  king's  mistress,  artfully  improved  the  op- 
portunity. Writing  to  her  brother,  for  whom  she  had  ob- 
tained from  the  king  a  gratuity  of  800,000  francs,  she  said: 
"  I  beg  of  you  carefully  to  use  the  money  you  are  about  to 
receive.  Estates  in  Poitou  may  be  got  for  nothing ;  the  des- 
olation of  the  Huguenots  Avill  drive  them  to  sell  more.  You 
may  easily  acquire  extensive  possessions  in  Poitou."* 

Thus  were  the  poor  Huguenots  trodden  under  foot — per- 
secuted, maltreated,  fined,  flogged,  hanged,  or  sabred ;  never- 
theless, many  of  those  who  survived  still  remained  faithful. 
Toward  the  end  of  1684  a  painful  incident  occurred  at  Maren- 

*  Memoires  de  Noailks,  la  ;  JIichelet — Lotas  XIV.,  275-6. 
!•  De  Felice — Book  iii.,  chnp.  xv.,  p.  317. 


148  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

.  nes,  in  Saintonge,  where  the  Reformed  religion  extensively 
prevailed,  notwithstanding  the  ferocity  of  the  persecution. 
The  church  there  comprised  from  13,000  to  14,000  persons; 
but  on  the  pretense  that  some  children  of  the  new  converts 
to  Romanism  had  been  permitted  to  enter  the  building  (a 
crime  in  the  eye  of  the  law),  the  congregation  Avas  ordered, 
late  one  Saturday  evening,  to  be  supjjressed.  On  the  Sunday 
morning  a  large  number  of  worshipers  apjDeared  at  the  church 
doors,  some  of  whom  had  come  from  a  great  distance — their 
own  churches  being  already  closed  or  pulled  down  —  and 
among  them  were  twenty-three  infants  brought  for  baptism. 
It  was  winter;  the  cold  was  intense;  and  no  shelter  being 
permitted  wdthin  the  closed  church,  the  poor  things  Avere 
mostly  frozen  to  death  on  their  mothers'  bosoms.  Loud  sob- 
bing and  Availing  rose  from  the  crowd ;  all  wept,  even  the 
men ;  but  they  found  consolation  in  jjrayer,  and  resoh'ed,  in 
this  their  darkest  hour,  to  be  faithful  to  the  end,  CA'en  unto 
death. 

A  large  body  of  troops  lay  encamped  in  Beam  in  the  early 
part  of  1685,  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  Spanish  army; 
but  a  truce  haA'ing  been  agreed  u2)on,  the  Marquis  de  Lou- 
vois  resolved  to  employ  his  regiment  in  converting  the  Hu- 
guenots of  the  surrounding  districts  after  the  methods  adopt- 
ed by  Noailles  at  Nismes.  Some  hundreds  of  Bearnese  Prot- 
estants having  been  driven  by  force  into  a  church  AAhere  the 
Bishoi>  of  Lescar  officiated,  the  doors  Avere  closed,  and  the 
poor  people  compelled  to  kneel  doAvn  and  receive  the  bish- 
op's absolution  at  the  point  of  the  SAA'ord.  To  escape  their 
tormentors,  the  Reformed  fled  into  the  Avoods,  tlie  Avilder- 
iiesses,  and  the  caA^erns  of  the  Pyrenees.  They  Avere  pursued 
like  Avild  beasts,  brought  back  to  their  dAvellings  by  force, 
and  compelled  to  board  and  lodge  their  persecutors.  The 
dragoons  entered  the  houses  Avith  draAA'n  swords,  shouting 
"Kill,  kill,  or  become  Catholics."  The  scenes  of  brutal  out- 
rage which  occurred  during  these  dragonnades  can  not  be 
described.    These  soldiers  Avere  among  the  roughest,  loosest. 


DRAGONNADES  IN  BEARN.  H9 

cruelest  of  men.*  They  suspended  their  victims  with  ropes, 
blowing  tobacco-smoke  into  their  nostrils  and  mouths,  and 
practicing  upon  them  a  hundred  other  nameless  cruelties, 
until  they  reduced  their  hosts  to  a  condition  of  not  knowing 
what  they  did,  and  of  promising  every  thing  to  rid  them- 
selves of  their  tormentors, f  No  wonder  that  the  constancy 
of  the  Bearnese  at  length  yielded  to  the  prolonged  rigor  of 
these  torments,  and  that  they  hastened  to  the  priests  in 
crowds  to  abjure  their  religion. 

The  success  of  the  dragonnades  in  enforcing  conversion  in 
Beam  encouraged  the  king  to  employ  the  same  means  else- 
where, and  in  the  course  of  four  months,  Languedoc,  Guienne, 
Saintonge,  Poitou,  Viverais,  Dauphiny,  Cevennes,  Provence, 
and  Gex  were  scoured  by  the  new  missionaries  of  the  Church, 
Neither  age  nor  sex  was  spared.  The  men  who  refused  to 
be  converted  were  thrown  into  dungeons,  and  the  women 
were  immured  in  prison-convents,  Louvois  thus  reported 
the  results  of  his  oj^erations,  in  September,  1685:  "Sixty 
thousand  conversions  have  been  made  in  the  district  of  Bor- 

*  jNIichelet  says  the  word  given  to  them  by  their  commander,  Luxembourg, 
when  in  lloUand,  was,  "Amusez  vous,  entlints!  pillez  et  violez!"  and  lie 
adds  the  following  description  of  ' '  M.  le  dragon  : "  "  Kosse'  par  I'officier,  il  le 
rendit  au  paysau.  Vrai  singe,  il  aimait  a  mal  faire,  et  plus  mal  que  les  au- 
tres ;  c'e'tait  son  amour-propre.  II  e'tait  ravi  dX'tre  craint,  criait,  cassait,  bat- 
tait,  tenait  a  ce  qu'on  dit.  Le  dragon  e'est  le  diable  a  quatre." — Louis  XI V. 
it  la  Revocation  dc  CEilit  de  Nantes,  p.  804-5.  Such  were  the  soldieiy  who 
]3roceeded  to  persecute  the  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  province  of 
Beam ;  and  eveiy  torture  Avhich  they  could  inflict  without  killing  them  out- 
right, they  inflicted  on  the  Huguenots. 

t  Elie  i5enoit,  in  his  Ilisfori/  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  fills  page  after  page 
with  descri])tions  of  the  cruelties  perpetrated  by  the  dragoons  on  the  poor  Hu- 
guenots. In  one  passage  he  says:  "The  horsemen  fastened  crosses  to  the 
mouth  of  their  musquetoons  to  compel  the  people  to  kiss  them  by  force,  and 
when  they  met  with  any  resistance,  they  thnist  their  crosses  into  the  face  and 
stomach  of  their  unhappy  victims.  They  spared  children  as  little  as  persons 
of  more  advanced  age,  and.  without  the  slightest  regard  for  their  years,  they 
loaded  them  with  blows  with  the  flat  of  their  swords,  or  with  the  butt-end  of 
their  mus(iuetoons ;  and  such  was  their  violence,  that  many  were  made  crip- 
l)les  for  life.  These  infamous  wretches  took  a  pleasure  in  maltreating  wom- 
en. They  beat  them  with  whips ;  they  struck  them  on  the  face  with  canes 
in  order  to  disfigure  them  ;  they  dragged  them  by  their  hair  in  the  mud  and 
over  the  stones.  Sometimes  the  soldiers,  meeting  laborers  on  the  road,  or 
with  their  carts,  drove  them  to  the  Roman  Catholic  churches,  pricking  them 
like  cattle  with  their  spurs-to  hasten  their  unwilling  march." 


150  RENEWED  PERSECUTIONS  IN  FRANCE. 

deaux,  and  twenty  tliousand  in  that  of  Montaubau.  So  rapid 
is  the  progress,  that  before  the  end  of  the  month  ten  thousand 
Protestants  will  not  be  left  in  the  district  of  Bordeaux,  where 
there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  on  the  15th  of  last 
month."  Noailles  Avrote  to  a  similar  eflfect  from  Nismes : 
"  The  most  influential  people,"  said  he, "  abjured  in  the  church 
tlie  day  following  my  arrival.  There  was  a  slackening  after- 
ward, but  matters  soon  assumed  a  proper  shape  with  the  help 
of  some  billetings  on  the  dwellings  of  the  most  obstmate." 

In  the  mean  time,  while  these  forced  conversions  of  the 
Huguenots  were  being  made  by  the  dragoons  of  De  Louvois 
and  De  Noailles,  Madame  de  Maintenon  continued  to  labor  at 
the  conversion  of  the  king  himself  She  was  materially  as- 
sisted by  her  royal  paramour's  bad  digestion,  and  by  the 
qualms  of  conscience  which  from  time  to  time  beset  him  at 
the  dissoluteness  of  his  past  life.  Every  twinge  of  pain,  cA'ery 
fit  of  colic,  every  prick  of  conscience,  was  succeeded  by  new 
resolutions  to  extirpate  heresy.  Penance  must  be  done  for 
his  incontinence,  but  not  by  himself  It  was  the  virtuous 
Huguenots  that  must  sufi'er  vicariously  for  him;  and, by  pun- 
ishing them,  he  flattered  himself  that  he  was  expiating  his 
own  sins.  "  It  was  not  only  his  amours  which  deserve  cen- 
sure," says  Sismondi,  "  although  the  scandal  of  their  public- 
ity, the  dignities  to  which  he  raised  the  children  of  his  adul- 
tery, and  the  constant  humiliation  to  Avhich  he  subjected  his 
wife,  add  greatly  to  his  ofiense  against  public  morality.  .  . 
He  acknowledged  in  his  judgments,  and  in  his  rigor  toward 
his  people,  no  rule  but  his  own  will.  At  the  very  moment 
that  his  subjects  were  dying  of  famine,  he  retrenched  nothing 
from  his-  prodigalities.  Those  Avho  boasted  of  having  con- 
verted him  had  never  reijresented  to  him  more  than  two  du- 
ties— that  of  renouncing  his  incontinence,  and  that  of  extir- 
pating heresy  in  his  dominions."* 

The  farce  of  Louis's  "  conversion"  went  on.  In  August, 
1684, Madame  de  Maintenon  wrote  thus:  "The  king  is  pre- 
*  De  Sismondi — Uistoire  de  France,  t.  xxv.,  p.  481. 


'^CONVERSION"  OF  LOUIS  XIV.  151 

pared  to  do  every  thing  that  shall  be  judged  useful  for  the 
welfore  of  religion ;  this  undertaking  will  cover  him  with 
glory  before  God  and  man  !"  The  dragonnades  were  then  in 
full  career  throughout  the  southern  provinces,  and  a  long 
wail  of  anguish  was  rising  from  the  persecuted  all  over 
France.  In  1685  the  king's  sufferings  increased,  and  his  con- 
version became  imminent.  His  miserable  body  was  already 
beginning  to  decay;  but  he  was  willing  to  make  a  sacrifice 
to  God  of  what  the  devil  had  left  of  it.  Not  only  did  he  lose 
his  teeth,  but  caries  in  the  jaw-bone  developed  itself;  and 
when  he  drank  the  liquid  passed  through  his  nostrils.*  In 
this  shocking  state  Madame  de  Maintenon  became  his  nurse. 

The  Jesuits  now  obtained  all  that  they  wanted.  They 
made  a  compact  with  Madame  by  which  she  was  to  advise 
the  king  to  revoke  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  while  they  were  to 
consent  to  her  marriage  with  him.  Pere  la  Chaise,  his  con- 
fessor, advised  a  private  marriage,  and  the  ceremony  was  per- 
formed at  Versailles  by  the  archbishop  of  Paris,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  confessor  and  two  more  witnesses.  The  precise 
date  of  the  transaction  is  not  known ;  but  it  is  surmised  that 
the  edict  was  revoked  one  day,  and  the  marriage  took  place 
the  next.f 

The  Act  of  Revocation  was  published  on  the  22d  of  Octo- 
1)cr,  1685.     It  was  the  death-knell  of  the  Huguenots. 

*  Michelet  cites  as  liis  authority  for  this  statement  Journal  MS.  des  Mede- 
lins,  1685. 

+  Madame  dit  (Mewoires,  ii.,  108)  que  le  marriage  eut  lieu  deux  ans  a]>res 
la  iiiort  de  la  reine,  done  dans  les  derniers  mois  de  1685.  M.  de  Noailles  (ii., 
I21)etablit  la  meme  date.  Pour  le  jour  pre'cis,  on  I'ignore.  On  doit  con- 
jet'iurer  qu'il  eut  lieu  apres  le  jour  de  la  Revocation  declaree  a  la  fin  d'Oc- 
tdhre,  ce  jour  oil  le  roi  tint  parole,  accorda  I'acte  qu'elle  avait  consenti,  et  oii 
"lie  fut  ainsi  engages  sans  retour. — Michklet — Louis  XIV.  et  la  lievoca- 
tiun,  p.  300. 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

RENEWED   FLIGHT    OF   THE    HUGUENOTS, 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  of  the  Jesuits  on  the  Revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Rome  sprang  up  with  a  shout  of  joy 
to  celebrate  the  event.  Te  Deunis  were  sung,  processions 
went  from  shrine  to  shrine,  and  the  Pope  sent  a  brief  to 
Louis  conveying  to  him  the  congratulations  and  praises  of 
the  Romish  Church.  Public  thanksgivings  were  held  at 
Paris,  in  which  the  people  eagerly  took  part,  thus  making 
themselves  accomplices  in  the  proscription  by  the  king  of 
their  fellow-subjects.  Tlie  provost  and  sherifts  had  a  statue 
of  Louis  erected  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  bearing  the  inscription 
Luduvico  McKjno^  victoriperpetiio^  ecclesia  ac  regum,  dignitatis 
assertori*  Leseuer  Avas  employed  to  paint  the  subject  for  the 
gallery  at  Versailles,  and  medals  were  struck  to  commemo- 
rate the  extinction  of  Protestantism  in  France. 

The  Roman  Catholic  clergy  were  almost  beside  themselves 
with  joy.  The  eloquent  Bossuet  was  especially  fervent  in 
his  praises  of  the  monarch :  "  Touched  by  so  niany  marvels," 
said  he  (15th  of  January,  1686),  "let  us  expand  our  hearts  in 
praise  of  the  piety  of  the  Great  Louis.  Let  our  acclamations 
ascend  to  heaven,  and  let  us  say  to  this  new  Constantine,  this 
new  Theodosius,  Avhat  the  six  hundred  and  thirty  fathers  said 
in  the  Council  of  Chalcedon,  '  You  have  strengthened  the 
faith,  you  have  exterminated  the  heretics  :  King  of  Heaven, 
preserve  the  king  of  earth.' "  Massillon  also  indulged  in  a 
like  strain  of  exultation :  "  The  profime  temples,"  said  he, "  are 
destroyed,  the  pulpits  of  seduction  are  cast  down,  the  proph- 
ets of  falsehood  are  torn  from  their  flocks.  At  the  first  blow 
dealt  to  it  by  Louis,  heresy  falls,  disappears,  and  is  reduced 

*  The  statue  was  pulled  do\ni  in  1 792,  and  cast  into  cannon  which  thun- 
dered at  Valmv. 


THE  MI  LIT  A  R  Y  J  A  CQ  UERIE.  1 53 

either  to  hide  itself  in  the  obscurity  whence  it  issued,  or  to 
cross  the  seas,  and  to  bear  with  it  into  foreign  lands  its  false 
gods,  its  bitterness,  and  its  rage." 

Let  us  now  see  what  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes 
involved.  The  demolition  of  all  the  remaining  Protestant 
temples  throughout  France,  and  the  entire  proscription  of 
the  Protestant  religion ;  the  prohibition  of  even  private  wor- 
ship under  penalty  of  confiscation  of  body  and  property ; 
the  banishment  of  all  Protestant  pastors  from  France  within 
fifteen  days ;  the  closing  of  all  Protestant  schools ;  the  pro- 
hibition of  parents  to  instruct  their  children  in  the  Protest-, 
ant  faith;  the  injunction  upon  them,  under  a  penalty  of  five 
hundred  livres  in  each  case,  to  have  their  children  baptized 
by  the  parish  priest,  and  brought  up  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion ;  the  confiscation  of  the  property  and  goods  of  all 
Protestant  refugees  who  failed  to  return  to  France  within 
four  months ;  the  penalty  of  the  galleys  for  life  to  all  men, 
and  of  imprisonment  for  life  to  all  women,  detected  in  the 
act  of  attempting  to  escape  from  France. 

Such  were  a  few  of  the  cruel,  dastardly,  and  inhuman  pro- 
visions of  the  Edict  of  Revocation.  Such  were  the  marvels 
of  the  piety  of  the  Great  Louis,  which  were  so  eloquently  eu- 
logized by  Bossuet  and  Massillon.  The  Edict  of  Revocation 
was  a  proclamation  of  war  by  the  armed  against  the  un- 
armed— a  war  against  peaceable  men,  -women,  and  children 
— a  war  against  property,  against  family,  against  society, 
against  public  morality,  and,  more  than  all,  against  the  rights 
of  conscience. 

The  military  jacquerie  at  once  began.  The  very  day  on 
which  the  Edict  of  Revocation  was  registered,  steps  were 
/taken  to  destroy  the  great  Protestant  church  at  Charenton, 
near  Paris.  It  had  been  the  work  of  the  celebrated  architect 
Debrosses,  and  was  capable  of  containing  14,000  persons.  In 
five  days  it  was  leveled  Avith  the  ground.  The  great  temple 
of  Quevilly,  near  Rouen,  of  nearly  equal  size,  in  Avhich  tlie  cel- 
ebrated minister  Jacques  Basnage  preached,  was  in  like  man- 


154  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

ner  demolished.  At  Tours,  at  Nismes,  at  Montauban,  and  all 
over  France,  the  same  scenes  were  enacted,  the  mob  eagerly 
joining  in  the  Avork  of  demolition  with  levers  and  pickaxes. 
Eight  hundred  Protestant  churches  were  thus  thrown  down 
in  a  few  weeks. 

The  provisions  of  the  Edict  of  Revocation  were  rigorously 
put  in  force,  and  they  were  succeeded  by  numerous  others  of 
like  spirit.  Thus  Protestants  were  commanded  to  employ 
only  Roman  Catholic  servants,  under  penalty  of  a  fine  of 
1000  livres,  while  Protestant  servants  were  forbidden  to  serve 
either  Protestant  or  Roman  Catholic  employers.  If  any  men- 
servants  were  detected  violating  this  law,  they  were  to  be 
sent  to  the  galleys;  whereas  women-servants  were  to  be 
flogged  and  branded  with  a  fleur-de-lis — the  emblazonment 
of  the  "Most  Christian  King."  Protestant  pastors  found 
lurking  in  France  after  the  expiry  of  the  fifteen  days  were 
to  be  condemned  to  death ;  and  any  of  the  king's  subjects 
found  giving  harbor  to  the  j^astors  were  to  be  condemned — 
the  men  to  be  galley-slaves,  the  women  to  imprisonment  for 
life.  The  reward  .of  5500  livres  was  oftered  for  the  appre- 
hension of  any  Protestant  pastor. 

The  Huguenots  Avere  not  even  jjermitted  to  die  in  peace, 

but  were  pursued  to  death's  door  and  into  the  grave  itself. 

They  were  forbidden  to  solicit  the  offices  of  those  of  their 

OAvn  faith,  and  Avere  required  to  confess  and  receive  unction 

from  the  priests,  on  penalty  of  having  their  bodies  when  dead 

removed  from  their  dwelling  by  the  common  hangman  and 

flung  into  the  public  sewer.*     In  the  event  of  tlic  sick  Prot- 

*  The  body  of  the  distinguislied  M.  de  Chenevix  M-as  subjected  to  this  bni- 
tal  indignity.  lie  was  a  gentleman  illustrious  for  his  learning  and  jjiety,  and 
had  been  councilor  to  the  king  in  the  court  of  Metz.  In  I(!8<>  he  fell  dan- 
gerously ill,  when  the  curate  of  the  parish,  forcing  himself  into  his  ])resence, 
imjiortuned  him  to  confess,  when  he  replied  that  he  declined  to  confess  to 
any  liut  (iod,  who  alone  could  forgive  his  sins.  The  archbishop  next  visited 
him,  m-ging  him  to  communicate  before  he  died,  at  tlie  same  time  informing 
him  of  the  ])cnalties  decreed  by  the  king  against  sucli  as  died  without  receiv- 
ing the  sacrament,  lie  refused,  declaring  that  he  would  never  conununicate 
after  the  popish  manner.  At  his  death,  sliortly  after,  orders  were  given  that 
his  body  should  be  removed  by  the  executioner ;  and  his  corjise  was  accord- 
ingly taken,  dragged  away  on  a  hurdle,  and  cast  upon  a  dunghill.     About 


CONS'TANCY  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  lou 

estaiit  recovering,  after  liaving  rejected  the  viaticum,  he  was 
to  be  condemned  to  perpetual  confinement  at  the  galleys,  or 
imprisonment  for  life,  with  confiscation  of  all  his  property. 
Such  were  the  measures  by  which  the  Great  Louis  sought  to 
win  back  erring  souls  to  Rome. 

Crushed,  tormented,  and  j^ersecuted  by  these  terrible  en- 
actments, the  Huguenots  felt  that  life  in  France  had  become 
almost  intolerable.  It  is  true  there  was  one  alternative — 
conversion.  But  Louis  XIV.,  with  all  his  power,  could  not 
prevail  against  the  impenetrable  rampart  of  conscience,  and 
a  large  proportion  of  the  Huguenots  persistently  refused  to 
be  converted.  They  would  not  act  the  terrible  lie  to  God, 
and  seek  their  personal  safety  at  the  price  of  hypocrisy. 
They  would  not  become  Roman  Catholics ;  they  would  rather 
die.  There  was  only  one  other  means  of  relief — flight  from 
France.  Yet  it  was  a  frightful  alternative,  to  tear  themselves 
from  the  country  they  loved,  from  friends  and  relatives,  from 
the  homes  of  their  youth  and  the  graves  of  their  kindred,  and 
fly — they  knew  not  whither.  The  thought  of  self-banishment 
was  so  agonizing  that  many  hesitated  long  and  prepared  to 
endure  much  before  taking  the  irrevocable  step ;  and  many 
more  prepared  to  suflTer  death  rather  than  leave  their  country 
and  their  home. 

Indeed,  to  fly  in  any  direction  became  increasingly  diflicult 
from  day  to  day.  The  frontiers  Avere  strongly  patroled  by 
troops  and  gensdarmes ;  the  coast  was  closely  watched  by  an 

fom-  luuidred  of  his  friends,  of  wliom  the  greater  number  were  women,  ])ro- 
ceeded  thither  by  night  to  fetch  the  body  away.  The}'  wrapped  it  in  linen  ; 
four  men  bore  it  aloft  on  their  shoulders,  and  the}'  buried  it  in  a  garden. 
While  the  corpse  was  being  let  down  into  the  grave,  the  mourning  assembly 
sang  the  7i>th  Psalm,  beginning,  "  Save  me,  O  God,  for  the  waters  are  come 
into  my  soul."  The  brother  of  M.  de  Chenevix  was  a  Protestant  pastor,  who 
was  forced  to  fly  at  the  Kevocation,  and  took  refuge  in  England.  His  son 
was  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  British  army,  and  his  grandson  was  made 
bishop  of  Killaloe  in  174r>,  and  afterward  of  Waterford  and  Lismore.  The 
jn'esent  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  Eichard  Chenevix  Trench,  is  his  great  grand- 
son In-  tiie  mother's  side,  being  also  descended,  by  tlie  father's  side,  from 
another  Huguenot  family,  the  Trenches  or  De  la  Tranches,  of  whom  the  Earl 
of  Clancarty  is  the  head,  who  emigrated  from  France  and  settled  in  England 
shortly  after  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew. 


156  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

armed  coast-guard ;  while  ships  of  war  cruised  at  sea  to  in- 
tercept and  search  outward-bound  vessels.  The  laAv  was 
strictly  enforced  against  all  persons  taken  in  the  act  of  flight. 
Under  the  original  edict,  detected  fugitives  were  to  be  con- 
demned to  the  galleys  for  life,  while  their  denouncers  were 
to  be  rewarded  with  half  their  goods.  But  this  punishment 
was  not  considered  sufiiciently  severe ;  and,  on  the  Vtli  of 
May,  1686,  the  king  issued  another  edict,  proclaiming  that 
any  captured  fugitives,  as  well  as  any  person  found  acting  as 
their  guide,  would  be  condemned  to  death. 

But  even  these  terrible  penalties  were  not  sufficient  to  pre- 
vent the  flight  of  the  Huguenots.  Many  of  the  more  distin- 
guished literary  and  scientific  men  of  France  had  already  es- 
caped into  other  countries.  When  the  Protestant  University 
of  Sedan  was  arbitrarily  closed  by  the  king  in  1681,  Jurieu, 
Professor  of  Hebrew  and  Theology,  and  Bayle,  Professor  of 
Philosophy,  fled  into  Holland  and  obtained  asylum  there. 
The  magistrates  of  Rotterdam  expressly  founded  a  new  col- 
lege for  education,  in  Avhich  the  fugitives  were  both  appoint- 
ed to  professorships.  Huyghens  also,  the  distinguished  as- 
tronomer and  mathematician,  who  had  been  induced  by  Col- 
bert to  settle  in  Paris,  made  haste  to  take  refuge  in  Holland. 
Though  not  much  of  a  Protestant,  and  indeed  not  much  of  a 
Christian,  Huyghens  Avould  not  be  a  hypocrite,  and  he  re- 
nounced all  honors  and  emoluments  rather  than  conform  to 
an  institution  and  system  which  he  detested. 

Amid  the  general  proscription,  a  few  distinguished  excep- 
tions Avere  made  by  the  king,  who  granted  permission  to 
several  laymen,  in  return  for  jiast  public  services,  to  leave  the 
kingdom  and  settle  abroad.  Among  these  were  Marshal 
Schomberg,  one  of  the  first  soldiers  of  France,  who  had  been 
commander-in-chief  of  its  armies,  and  the  Marquis  de  Ruvig- 
ny,  one  of  her  ablest  embassadors — whose  only  crime  con- 
sisted in  their  being  Protestants.  The  gallant  admiral  Du- 
quesne  also,  the  first  sailor  of  P"' ranee,  was  a  Huguenot.  The 
king  sent  for  him  and  urged  him  to  abjure  his  religion.     But 


DULiUESNK—THE  BANISHED  PASTORS.  157 

the  old  hero,  pointing  to  his  gray  hair,  replied, "  For  sixty- 
years,  sire,  have  I  rendered  unto  CjBsar  the  things  which  are 
Caesar's ;  suffer  me  still  to  render  unto  God  the  things  which 
are  God's."  Duquesne  was  permitted  to  end  his  few  remain- 
ing days  in  France,  for  he  was  then  in  his  eightieth  year ;  but 
his  two  sons  Avere  allowed  to  emigrate,  and  they  shortly  after 
departed  into  Holland.* 

The  banished  pastors  were  treated  with  especial  severity. 
Fifteen  days  only  had  been  allowed  them  to  fly  beyond  the 
frontier,  and  if  they  tarried  longer  in  their  agonizing  leave- 
taking  of  their  flocks  they  were  liable  to  be  sent  to  the  gal- 
leys for  life.  Yet,  with  that  exquisite  malignity  which  char- 
acterized the  acts  of  the  monarch  and  his  abettors,  they  were 
in  some  cases  refused  the  necessary  permits  to  pass  the  fron- 
tier, in  order  that  they  might  thereby  be  brought  within  the 
range  of  the  dreadful  penalties  proclaimed  by  the  Act  of 
Revocation.  The  pastor  Claude — one  of  the  most  eloquent 
preachers  of  his  day,  who  had  been  one  of  the  ministers  of 
the  great  church  of  Charenton,  was  ordered  to  quit  France 
Avitliin  twenty-four  liours,  and  he  set  out  forthwith,  accom- 
])anied  by  one  of  the  king's  footmen,  Avho  saw  him  as  far  as 
Brussels.  The  other  pastors  of  Paris  Avere  alloAved  tAvo  days 
to  make  their  preparations  for  leaAdng,  More  time  Avas  al- 
lowed to  those  in  the  provinces ;  but  they  Avere  permitted  to 
carry  nothing  Avith  them,  not  even  their  children — all  under 
seven  years  of  age  being  taken  from  them  to  be  brought  up 
in  the  religion  of  their  persecutors.     Even  infants  at  the 

'^  The  eldest  son,  Henry,  Marquis  Duquesne,  subsequently  went  to  Switzer- 
land to  organize  a  flotilla  on  I^ake  Leman  for  the  defense  of  the  country 
against  the  Duke  of  Savoy  who  then  threatened  it.  "  Henry  had  secretly 
carried  off  from  Taris  the  heart  of  his  father,  whose  memory  Louis  XIV.  re- 
fused to  honor  hy  a  ))ublic  moiunnent.  The  body  of  that  great  man  had  been 
refused  to  his  son,  who  had  ])repared  for  it  a  burial-place  in  a  foreign  land. 
He  had  the  following  words  engraved  on  the  mausoleum  he  had  erected  to 
him  in  the  church  of  Aubonne  :  Thix  tomb  <nraits  Duquesne  s  remains.  You, 
iclio  pass  liy,  question  the  <'ovrf,  the  army,  the  Church,  and  even  Europe,  Asia, 
Africa,  and  the  tiro  oceans  ;  ask  them  why  a  superb  mausoleum  has  been  raised 

to  the  valiant  Kuyter,  and  not  to  his  conqueror  Duquesne? I  see 

that,  out  of  respect  for  the  Great  King,  you  dare  not  speak." — Weiss — His- 
tory of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees,  501). 


158  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

breast  must  be  given  up ;  and  many  a  mother's  heart  Avas 
torn  by  conflicting  feelings — the  duty  of  following  a  husband 
on  the  i-oad  to  banishment,  or  remaining  behind  to  suckle  a 
helpless  infant. 

It  may  be  asked,  Why  rake  up  these  horrors  of  the  past, 
these  tortures  inflicted  upon  innocent  women  and  children  in 
times  long  since  past  and  gone  ?  Simply  because  they  are 
matters  of  history,  which  can  not  be  ignored  or  suppressed. 
They  may  be  horrible  to  relate,  it  is  true,  but  they  were  far 
more  horrible  to  sufier.  And,  however  revolting  they  may 
now  appear,  any  description  of  them,  no  matter  how  vivid  or 
how  detailed,  must  necessarily  fall  far  short  of  the  dreadful 
reality  to  those  who  endured  them.  They  are,  indeed,  histor- 
ical facts,  full  of  significance  and  meaning,  without  a  knowl- 
edge of  which  it  were  impossible  to  understand  the  extraor- 
dinary exodus  of  the  French  people  which  shortly  followed, 
and  which  constituted  one  of  the  most  important  historical 
events  of  the  seventeenth  century.  And,  if  we  mistake  not, 
they  are  eqx;ally  necessary  to  an  intelligent  appreciation  of 
the  causes  which  led  to  the  success  of  the  English  Revolution 
of  1088  and  the  events  which  followed  it,  as  well  as  of  the 
still  more  i-ecent  French  Revolution  of  1789. 

When  all  the  banished  pastors  had  fled,  those  of  their 
flocks  who  still  remained  stcadfjist  prepared  to  follow  them 
into  exile,  for  they  felt  it  easier  to  be  martyrs  than  apostates. 
Those  who  possessed  goods  and  movables  made  haste  to  con- 
vert them  into  money  in  such  a  Avay  as  to  excite  the  least 
suspicion ;  for  spies  were  constantly  on  the  watch,  ready  to 
denounce  intended  fugitives  to  the  authorities.  Such  of 
them  as  wei-e  engaged  in  trade,  commerce,  and  manufactures 
were  surrounded  by  difficulties ;  yet  they  were  prepared  to 
dare  and  risk  all  rather  than  abjure  their  religion.  They 
prepared  to  close  their  workshops,  their  tannei-ies,  their  pa- 
per-mills, their  silk  manufactories,  and  the  various  branches 
of  industry  which  they  had  built  up,  and  to  fly  with  the 
merest  wreck  of  their  fortunes  into  other  countries.      The 


GENERAL  FLIGHT  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  159 

owners  of  land  had  still  greater  difficulties  to  encounter. 
They  were,  in  a  measure,  rooted  to  the  soil ;  and,  according 
to  the  royal  edict,  if  they  emigrated  Avithout  special  permis- 
sion, their  property  was  liable  to  immediate  confiscation  by 
the  state.  Nevertheless,  ma;ny  of  these,  too,  resolved  to  brave 
all  risks  and  fly. 

"When  the  full  tide  of  the  emigration  set  in,  it  was  found 
difficult  to  guard  the  extensive  French  frontier  so  as  effectu- 
ally to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  fugitives.  The  high  roads 
as  well  as  the  by-ways  were  regularly  patroled  day  and 
night,  and  all  the  bridges  leading  out  of  France  were  str<)ng- 
ly  guarded.  But  the  fugitives  avoided  the  frequented  routes, 
and  crossed  the  frontier  through  forests,  over  trackless  wastes, 
or  hf  mountain  paths,  where  no  patrols  were  on  the  watch, 
and  thus  they  contrived  to  escape  in  large  numbers  into 
Switzerland,  Germany,  and  Holland.  They  mostly  traveled 
by  night,  not  in  bands,  but  in  small  parties,  and  often  singly. 
When  the  members  of  a  family  prepared  to  fly,  they  fixed  a 
rendezvous  in  some  town  across  the  nearest  frontier ;  then, 
after  prayer  and  taking  a  tender  leave  of  each  other,  they  set 
out  separately,  and  made  for  the  agreed  point  of  meeting, 
usually  traveling  in  different  directions. 

Many  of  the  fugitives  were  of  course  caj^tured  by  the 
king's  agents.  Along  so  wide  a  frontier,  it  was  impossible 
always  to  elude  their  vigilance.  To  strike  terror  into  such 
of  the  remaining  Huguenots  as  might  be  contemplating  their 
escape,  the  prisoners  who  were  taken  were  led  as  a  show 
through  the  principal  towns,  with  heavy  chains  round  their 
necks,  in  some  cases  weighing  over  fifty  pounds.  "Some- 
times," says  Benoit, "  they  Avere  placed  in  carts  with  irons  on 
their  feet,  and  the  chains  were  made  fast  to  the  cart.  They 
were  forced  to  make  long  marches  ;  and,  when  they  sank  un- 
der fatigue,  blows  compelled  them  to  rise."*  After  they  had 
been  thus  driven  through  the  chief  towns  by  way  of  exam- 
ple, the  prisoners  were  sent  to  the  galleys,  where  there  were 
*  Elib  Benoit — Histoire  de  rEdit  de  Nantes,  v., ^.Q6i. 


IGO  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

already  more  than  a  thousand  by  the  end  of  1G80.  The  gal- 
ley-slaves included  men  of  all  conditions — pastors  and  peas- 
ants ;  old  men  with  white  hairs  and  boys  of  tender  years ; 
magistrates,  officers,  and  men  of  gentle  blood,  mixed  with 
thieves  and  murderers ;  and  no  discrimination  whatever  was 
made  in  their  classification,  or  in  the  barbarity  of  their  treat- 
ment. 

These  cruelties  were,  however,  of  no  avail  in  checking  the 
emigration.  The  Huguenots  continued  to  fly  out  of  France 
in  all  directions.  The  Great  Louis,  still  bent  on  their  "  con- 
version," increased  his  guards  along  the  frontiers.  The  sol- 
diers were  rcAvarded  in  proportion  to  the  captures  they  ef- 
fected. The  aid  of  the  frontier  peasantry  was  also  invited, 
and  thousands  of  them  joined  the  troops  in  guarding  the 
highways,  the  bridges,  the  ferries,  and  all  the  avenues  leading 
out  of  France.  False  statements  were  published  by  authori- 
ty, to  the  effect  that  such  of  the  emigrants  as  had  reached 
foreign  countries  were  destitute  and  starving.  It  was  stated 
that  ten  thousand  of  them  had  died  of  misery  in  England, 
and  that  most  of  those  who  survived  were  imploring  permis- 
sion to  return  to  France  and  abjure.* 

In  vain  !  the  emigration  continued.  Some  bought  their 
way  across  the  frontier ;  others  fought  their  Avay.  They 
went  in  all  sorts  of  disguises  —  some  as  peddlers,  others  as 
soldiers,  huntsmen,  valets,  and  beggars.  Some,  to  disarm  sus- 
picion, even  pretended  to  sell  chaplets  and  rosaries.  The 
Huguenots  conducted  the  emigration  on  a  regular  system. 
They  had  itineraries  prepared  and  secretly  distributed,  in 
which  the  safest  routes  and  hiding-places  Avere  described  in 
detail  —  a  sort  of  "  underground  railroad,"  such  as  existed 
in  the  United  States  before  the  abolition  of  slavery  there. 
Many  escaped  through  the  great  forest  of  Ardennes  into 
Luxembourg  ;  others  through  the  Vosges  Mountains  into 
Germany  ;  and  others  through  the  passes  of  the  Jura  into 
Switzerland.  Some  were  shot  by  the  soldiers  and  peasant- 
*  Weiss — Histori/  of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees,  p.  76. 


THE  HUGUENOT  WOMEN.  161 

ry ;  a  still  greater  number  were  taken  pi'isoners  and  sent  to 
the  galleys ;  yet  many  thousands  of  them  nevertheless  con- 
trived to  make  their  escape. 

The  flight  of  men  was  accompanied  by  that  of  women,  old 
and  young ;  often  by  mothers  with  infants  in  their  arms. 
The  hearts  of  the  women  were  especially  lacerated  by  the 
cruelties  inflicted  on  them  through  their  affections ;  by  the 
tearing  of  their  children  from  them  for  the  purpose  of  being 
educated  in  convents;  by  the  quartering  of  dragoons  in  their 
dwellings;  and  by  the  various  social  atrocities  which  pre- 
ceded as  well  as  followed  the  Edict  of  Revocation.*  While 
many  Protestant  heads  of  families  were  ready  to  conform,  in 
order  to  save  their  families  from  insult  and  outrage  by  a  law- 
less and  dissolute  soldiery,  the  women  often  refused  to  fol- 
low their  example,  and  entreated  their  husbands  to  fly  from 
the  land  where  such  barbarities  had  become  legalized,  and 
where  this  daily  Avar  was  being  carried  on  against  woman- 
hood and  childhood — against  innocence,  morality,  religion, 
and  virtue.  To  women  of  pure  feelings,  life  under  such  cir- 
cumstances was  more  intolerable  even  than  death. 

Every  where,  therefore,  were  the  Huguenot  women  as  well 
as  the  men  found  fleeing  into  exile.  They  mostly  fled  in  dis- 
guise, often  alone,  to  join  their  husbands  or  fathers  at  the  ap- 
pointed rendezvous.  Benoit  says  that  they  cut  off"  their  hair, 
disfigured  their  faces  with  dyes,  assumed  the  dress  of  ped- 
dlers or  lackeys,  and  condescended  to  the  meanest. employ- 
ments, for  the  purpose  of  disarming  suspicion  and  insuring 

*  The  frightfid  cruelty  of  these  measures  shocked  the  Eoman  Cathohc 
clergy  themselves,  and,  to  their  honor  be  it  said,  in  many  districts  they  refrain- 
ed from  putting  them  in  force.  On  discovering  this,  Louis  XIV.,  furiously 
zealous  for  the  extirpation  of  heresy,  ordered  his  minister  De  Portchartrain 
to  address  a  circular  to  the  bishops  of  France,  charging  them  with  want  of 
zeal  in  cam'ing  his  edicts  into  effect,  and  calling  upon  them  to  require  the 
curates  of  their  respective  dioceses  to  enforce  them  without  fail. — Coquerel, 
Histoire  ties  Er/lises  du  Desert,  i.,  p.  68.  The  priests  who  visited  the  slaves 
at  the  galleys  were  horribly  shocked  at  the  cmelties  practiced  on  them.  The 
Abbe'  Jean  Bion  shed  tears  at  the  sight  of  the  captives  covered  with  bleeding 
wounds  inflicted  by  the  whip,  and  he  could  not  resist  the  impression  :  "  Their 
blood  preached  to  me,"  says  he  ia  his  Relation,  "and  I  felt  myself  a  Protest- 
ant. " 

L 


162  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

their  escape.*  Young  women,  in  many  cases  of  gentle  birth, 
who  under  other  circumstances  would  have  shrunk  from  the 
idea  of  walking  a  few  miles  from  home,  prepared  to  set  out 
upon  a  journey  on  foot  of  some  hundreds  of  miles,  through 
woods,  by  unfrequented  paths,  across  mountain  ranges,  brav- 
ing all  dangers  so  that  they  might  but  escape,  though  it  were 
with  their  bare  lives,  from  the  soil  of  France.  Jean  Mar- 
teilhe,  of  Bergerac,  describes  a  remarkable  incident  of  this 
kind.f  He  had  himself  been  taken  prisoner  in  his  attempt  to 
escape  across  the  French  frontier  near  Marienbourg,  and  was 
lodged  in  the  jail  at  Tournay  to  wait  his  trial.  While  lying 
there,  five  other  Huguenot  fugitives,  who  had  been  captured 
by  the  dragoons,  were  ushered  into  his  cell.  Three  of  these 
lie  at  once  recognized,  through  their  disguise,  as  gentlemen 
of  Bergerac  ;  but  the  other  two  he  failed  to  recognize.  They 
eventually  proved  to  be  two  young  ladies,  Mesdemoiselles 
Madras  and  Conceil  of  Bergerac,  disguised  as  boys,  who  had 
set  out,  though  it  was  winter,  to  make  their  escape  from 
France  through  the  forest  of  Ardennes.     They  had  traveled 

*  AVomen  of  quality,  even  sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age.  who  had.  so  to 
speak,  never  placed  a  foot  uj)on  the  ground  except  to  cross  their  apartments 
or  stroll  in  an  avenue,  traveled  a  hundred  leagues  to  some  village  which  had 
been  indicated  by  a  guide.  Girls  of  fifteen,  of  every  rank,  exposed  them- 
selves to  the  same  hazard.  They  drew  wheelbarrows,  they  bore  manure, 
panniers,  and  other  burdens.  They  disfigured  their  faces  with  dyes  to  em- 
brown their  com])lexion,  with  ointments  or  juices  that  blistered  their  skins 
and  gave  them  a  wrinkled  aspect.  Women  and  girls  were  seen  to  counterfeit 
sickness,  dumbness,  and  even  insanity.  Some  went  disguised  as  men ;  and 
some,  too  delicate  to  pass  as  grown  men,  donned  the  dress  of  lackeys,  and 
followed  on  foot,  through  the  mud,  a  guide  on  horseback,  who  assumed  the 
character  of  a  man  of  importance.  Many  of  these  females  reached  Rotter- 
dam in  their  borrowed  garments,  and  hastening  to  the  foot  of  the  jiulpit,  be- 
fore they  had  time  to  assume  a  more  decent  garb,  published  their  repentance 
of  their  comj)ulsory  signature.  —  Ki.ik  Benoit — Histoirc  de  l Edit  de  Nantes, 
v.,  r,rA,  1)53. 

t  The  narrative  of  Jean  Marteilhe,  entitled  M^moires  d'tin  Protestant  con-. 
daimne  aux  Ga/e'rcs  de  France  pour  cause  de  Reli(/ion,  I'crits  par  liii  meme, 
gives  a  most  interesting  account  of  the  adventures  and  suflerings  of  those  con- 
demned to  the  galleys  because  of  their  Protestantism.  The  book  originally 
appeared  at  Rotterdam  in  1  ~'>f->,  and  was  translated  into  P^nglish  by  Oliver 
(Joldsmith,  under  the  fictitious  name  of  "J.  Willington,"  in  the  following 
year,  Goldsmith  receiving  twenty  guineas  for  making  the  translation.  It  has 
"since  been  republished  by  the  Religious  Tract  Society,  under  the  title  of  A  uto- 
hioqrapby  of  a  French  Protestant  condemned  to  the  Galleys  for  the  sake  o/his 
Religion,  and  is  well  worthy  of  j  crusal. 


JEAN  MAR  1  iLlLHE.  1 6b 

thirty  leagues  on  foot,  under  dripping  trees,  along  broken 
roads,  and  by  almost  trackless  paths,  enduring  cold,  hunger, 
and  privations  "  with  a  firmness  and  constancy,"  says  Mar- 
teilhe,  "  extraordinary  for  persons  brought  up  in  refinement, 
and  who,  previous  to  this  expedition,  would  not  have  been 
able  to  walk  a  league."  They  were,  however,  captured  and 
put  in  jail;  and  when  they  recognized  in  their  fellow-prison- 
ers other  Huguenot  fugitives  from  Bergerac,  they  Avere  so 
happy  that  they  wept  for  joy.  Marteilhe  strongly  urged 
that  the  jailer  should  be  informed  of  their  sex,  to  Avhich  the 
young  ladies  assented,  when  they  were  removed  to  a  sepa- 
rate cell.  They  were  afterward  tried,  and  condemned  to  be 
immured  in  the  Convent  of  the  Repentants  at  Paris,  where 
they  wept  out  the  rest  of  their  lives  and  died. 

Marteilhe  himself  refused  all  the  tempting  ofiers,  as  well  as 
the  dreadful  threats,  made  to  induce  him  to  abjure  his  relig- 
ion, and  he  was  condemned  to  be  sent  to  the  galleys  at  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  Marched  from  jail  to  jail,  and  from 
town  to  town,  loaded  with  chains  like  his  fellow-prisoners,  he 
was  first  i:)laced  in  the  galleys  at  Dunkirk,  where  he  endured 
the  most  horrible  hardshij^s*  during  tAvelve  years;  after 
Avhich,  on  the  surrender  of  Dunkirk  to  the  English,  he  was 
marched,  with  twenty -two  other  Protestant  galley-slaves, 
still  loaded  with  chains,  through  Paris  and  the  other  princi- 
pal towns,  to  Marseilles,  to  serve  out  the  remainder  of  his 
sentence.  There  were  other  galley-slaves  of  even  more  ten- 
der years  than  Marteilhe.  Andrew  Bosquet  was  only  six- 
teen, and  he  remained  at  the  galleys  twenty -six  years. 
Francis  Bourry  and  Matthew  Morel  were  but  fifteen;  and 
only  a  few"  years  since,  Admii*al  Baudin,  maritime  prefect  at 
Toulon,  in  turning  over  the  ancient  records  of  his  depart- 
ment, discovered  the  register  of  a  child  who  had  been  sent 

*  ^Miat  life  at  the  galleys  was  may  be  leanied  from  Marteilhe's  own  narra- 
tive above  cited,  as  well  as  from  a  highly  interesting  account  of  the  Protest- 
ants sent  to  the  galleys,  by  Athanase  Coquerel  fils,  entitled  Les  Formats  pour 
In  Fcl  (Galley-slaves  for  the  Faith),  recently  published  at  Paris  by  Le'vy 
Brothers. 


1 64  RENE  WED  FLIGHT  OF  HUG  UENO  TS. 

to  the  galleys  at  t^velve  years  of  age  "  for  Jiaving  accompa- 
nied his  father  and  mother  to  the  preaching  !"* 

On  the  other  liand,  age  did  not  protect  those  found  guilty 
of  adhering  to  their  faith.  David  de  Caumont,  baron  of  Mont- 
belon,  was  seventy  years  old  Avhen  sent  to  the  galleys.  An- 
toine  Astruc  v^^as  of  the  same  age  when  condemned  ;  and  An- 
toine  Morlier  seventy-one.  Nor  did  distinction  in  learning 
protect  the  hapless  Protestant ;  for  the  celebrated  counselor 
of  the  king,  Louis  de  Marolles,  was  sent  to  the  galleys  with 
the  rest.  At  first,  out  of  regard  for  his  eminence,  the  jailer 
cliained  him  by  only  one  foot ;  but  next  day,  by  the  express 
orders  of  Louis  the  Great,  a  heavy  chain  Avas  fixed  around  his 
neck.  It  was  Avhile  chained  with  all  sorts  of  malefactors 
that  Marolles  compiled  his  Discourse  on  Providence,  which 
was  afterward  published  and  translated  into  English.  Ma- 
rolles was  also  a  profound  mathematician — the  author  of  one 
of  the  best  treatises  on  algebra ;  and,  while  chained  in  his 
dungeon,  he  pi'oposed  a  problem  to  the  mathematicians  of 
Paris  which  was  afterward  inserted  in  the  works  of  Ozanam. 

Another  distinguished  galley-slave  was  John  Huber,  father 
of  three  illustrious  sons — Huber  of  the  Birds,  Huber  of  the 
Ants,  and  Huber  of  the  Bees  !  The  following  touching  inci- 
dent is  from  the  elder  Huber's  journal :  "We  arrived  one 
night  at  a  little  towni,  chained,  my  wife  and  my  children,  with 
fourteen  galley-sla-ses.  The  priests  came  to  us,  offering  free- 
dom on  condition  that  we  abjured.  We  had  agreed  to  pre- 
serve a  profound  silence.  After  them  came  the  women  and 
children  of  the  place,  who  covered  us  with  mud.  I  made 
my  little  party  fall  on  their  knees,  and  we  put  up  this  pray- 
er, in  which  all  the  fugitives  joined :  '  Gracious  God,  who 
seest  the  wrcngs  to  wliich  we  are  hourly  exposed,  give  us 
strength  to  support  them,  and  to  forgive  in  charity  those 
Avho  wrong  us.  Strengthen  us  from  good  even  unto  better.' 
They  had  expected  to  hear  complaints  and  outcries :  our 
words  astonished  them.     We  fiuislied  our  little  act  of  wor- 

*'  Les  Forrats  jiour  la  Foi,  p.  91. 


COUNT  DE  MARANCE'.  IGr, 

ship  by  singing  the  hundred  and  sixteenth  psalm.  At  this, 
the  women  began  to  weep.  They  washed  off  the  mud  with 
which  our  children's  faces  had  been  covered,  and  they  sought 
permission  to  have  us  lodged  in  a  barn  separate  from  the 
other  galley-slaves,  which  was  done." 

To  return  to  the  fugitives  who  evaded  the  dragoons,  po- 
lice, and  coast-guard,  and  succeeded  in  making  their  escape 
from  France.  Many  of  them  fled  by  sea,  for  it  was  difficult 
to  close  that  great  highway,  or  to  guard  the  coast  so  strictly 
as  to  preclude  the  escape  of  those  who  dared  to  trust  them- 
selves upon  it.  Some  of  the  fugitives  from  inland  places, 
who  had  never  seen  the  sea  in  their  lives  before,  were  so  ap- 
palled at  sight  of  the  wide  and  stormy  waste  of  waters,  and 
so  agonized  by  the  thought  of  tearing  themselves  from  their 
native  land  forever,  that  their  hearts  sank  within  them,  and 
they  died  in  sheer  despair,  Avithout  being  able  to  accomplish 
their  purpose.  Others,  stronger  and  more  courageous,  pre- 
pared to  brave  all  risks;  and  on  the  first  opportunity  that 
offered,  they  put  out  to  sea,  from  all  parts  of  the  coast,  in 
open  boats,  in  shallops,  in  fishing-smacks,  and  in  trading  ships, 
eager  to  escape  from  France  in  any  thing  that  would  float. 

"The  Protestants  of  the  sea-board,"  says  Weiss,  "got  away  in  French, 
English,  and  Dutch  merchant  vessels,  whose  masters  hid  them  under  balea 
of  goods  and  heaps  of  coals,  and  in  empty  casks,  where  they  had  only  the 
bung-hole  to  breathe  through.  There  they  remained,  crowded  one  upon 
another,  until  the  ship  sailed.  Fear  of  discovery  and  of  the  galleys  gave 
them  courage  to  suffer.  Persons  brought  up  in  every  luxury,  pregnant  wom- 
en, old  men,  invalids,  and  children,  ^-ied  with  each  other  in  constancy  to  es- 
cape from  their  persecutors,  often  risking  themselves  in  open  boats  upon  voy- 
ages the  thought  of  which  would  in  ordinary  times  have  made  them  shudder. 
A  Norman  gentleman,  Count  de  Marance',  passed  the  Channel,  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  with  forty  persons,  among  whom  were  several  pregnant  women,  in 
a  vessel  of  seven  tons'  burden.  Overtaken  by  a  storm,  he  remained  long  at 
sea,  without  pro\isions  or  hope  of  succor,  dpng  of  hunger ;  he,  the  countess, 
and  all  the  passengers  reduced,  for  sole  sustenance,  to  a  little  melted  snow,  with 
which  they  appeased  their  burning  thirst,  and  moistened  the  parched  lips  of 
their  weeping  children,  until  they  landed,  half  dead,  upon  England's  shores."'* 

*  Weiss — History  cf  lite  French  Protestant  Refugees,  p.  79,  SO. 


16G  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

Tlie  Lord  of  Castelfrane,  near  Rochelle,  was  less  fortunate 
than  the  Count  de  Marance.  He  was  captured  at  sea,  in  an 
open  boat,  while  attempting  to  escape  to  England  with  his 
wife  and  family.  Three  of  his  sons  and  three  of  his  daugh- 
ters thus  taken  were  sent  to  the  Caribbee  Islands  as  slaves. 
His  three  other  daughters  were  detained  in  France  in  strict 
confinement;  and  after  much  sufiering,  during  which  they 
continued  steadfast  to  their  faith,  they  were  at  length  per- 
mitted to  depart  for  Geneva.  The  father  contrived  in  some 
way  afterward  to  escape  from  France  and  reach  London, 
where  he  lived  for  many  years  in  Bunhill  Fields.  The  six 
slaves  in  the  Caribbee  Islands  were  eventually  liberated  by 
the  crew  of  an  English  vessel,  and  brought  to  London.  The 
three  young  men  entered  the  English  army  under  William 
in.  Two  of  them  were  killed  in  battle  in  Flanders,  and  the 
third  retired  on  half  pay,  settling  at  Portarlington  in  Ireland, 
where  he  died.* 

Among  the  many  who  escaped  in  empty  casks  may  be 
mentioned  the  Misses  Raboteau,  of  Pont-Gibaud,  near  Ro- 
chelle. Their  relatives  had  become  "new  Catholics,"  by 
which  name  the  converts  from  Protestantism,  often  pretend- 
ed, were  called ;  but  the  two  young  ladies  refused  to  be  con- 
verted, and  they  waited  an  opportunity  for  making  their  es- 
cape from  France.  The  means  were  at  length  provided  by 
an  exiled  relative,  John  Charles  Raboteau,  who  had  emigra- 
ted long  before,  and  settled  as  a  Avine-merchant  in  Dublin.  He 
carried  on  a  brisk  trade  Avith  the  French  Avine-growers,  and 
occasionally  sailed  in  his  oAvn  ship  to  Rochelle,  Avhere  he  be- 
came the  temporary  guest  of  his  relatives.  At  one  of  his 
visits  the  tAvo  young  ladies  confided  to  him  that  they  had 
been  sentenced  to  adopt  the  alternative  of  either  marrying 
tAvo  Roman  Catholic  gentlemen  selected  for  their  husbands, 

*  Agnew — Protestant  Exiles  from  France  [printed  for  private  circulation], 
London,  18GG.  A  work  containing  a  large  amount  of  curious  and  interesting 
inlijrmation  relative  to  the  descendants  of  the  French  Protestant  refugees  in 
England  and  Ireland.  We  are  glad  to  learn  that  the  work  is  about  to  ap- 
pear in  a  generally  accessible  form. 


FUGITIVE  GENTLEWOMEN.  167 

or  being  shut  up  in  a  convent  foi'  life.  There  was  one  other 
alternative — flight — upon  which  they  resolved,  if  their  uncle 
would  assist  them.  He  at  once  assented,  and  made  arrano-e- 
ments  for  their  escape.  Two  horses  were  obtained,  on  Avhich 
they  rode  by  night  to  Rochelle,  where  lodgings  had  been 
taken  for  them  at  the  house  of  a  widow.  There  was  still, 
however,  the  greater  difficulty  to  be  overcome  of  getting  the 
delicate  freight  put  on  board,  Raboteau  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  take  to  Ireland,  as  part  of  his  cargo,  several  large 
casks  of  French  apples,  and  in  two  of  such  casks  the  young 
ladies  were  carried  on  board  of  his  ship.  They  reached  Dub- 
lin in  safety,  where  they  settled  and  married,  and  their  de- 
scendants still  survive.* 

The  Rev.  Philip  Skelton  mentions  the  case  of  a  French 
gentlewoman  brought  from  Bordeaux  to  Portsmouth  by  a 
sea-captain  of  his  acquaintance,  which  shows  the  agonies  of 
mind  which  must  have  been  endured  by  these  noble  women 
before  they  could  bring  themselves  to  fly  alone  across  the  sea 
to  England  for  refuge.  This  lady  had  sold  all  the  property 
she  could  convert  into  money,  with  which  she  purchased 
jewels,  as  being  the  easiest  to  carry.  She  contrived  to  get 
on  board  of  the  Englishman's  ship  by  night,  bringing  with 
her  the  little  casket  of  jewels  —  her  sole  fortune.  She  re- 
mained in  a  state  of  the  greatest  fear  and  anxiety  till  the 
ship  Avas  under  sail.  But  no  sooner  did  she  find  herself  fairly 
out  at  sea  and  the  land  disappearing  in  the  distance,  than  she 
breathed  freely,  and  began  to  give  way  to  her  feelings  of  joy 
and  gratitude.  This  increased  in  proportion  as  she  neared 
England,  though  about  to  land  there  an  exile,  a  solitary  wom- 
an, and  a  foreigner ;  and  no  sooner  did  she  reach  the  shore 
than  she  threw  herself  down   and  passionately  kissed  the 

*  One  of  them  man-ied  Alderman  Peter  Barre',  whose  son  was  the  fitmous 
Isaac  Barre,  M.P.  and  Privy  Councilor;  the  other  married  Mr.  Stejihen 
Chaigneau,  descended  from  an  ancient  family  in  the  f'harente,  where  their 
estate  of  Labelloniere  was  confiscated  and  sold  as  lielonging  to  "  Religionaires 
fiigitifs  du  royaume  pour  cause  de  la  religion."  Several  of  their  descendants 
have  filled  important  offices  in  the  state,  army,  and  Church  of  England  and 
Ireland. 


1G8  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

ground,  exclaiming,  "  Have  I  at  last  attained  my  wishes  ? 
Yes,  orracious  God !  I  thank  thee  for  this  deliverance  from  a 
tyranny  exercised  over  my  conscience,  and  for  j^lacing  me 
where  Thou  alone  art  to  reign  over  it  by  Thy  Avord,  till  I 
shall  finally  lay  down  my  head  upon  this  beloved  earth  !"* 

All  the  measures  adopted  by  the  French  king  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  fugitives  by  sea  proved  as  futile  as  those  em- 
ployed to  pi-event  their  escape  by  land.  The  coast-guard 
was  increased,  and  more  tempting  rewards  were  ofiered  for 
the  capture  of  the  flying  Protestants.  The  royal  cruisers 
were  set  to  watch  every  harbor  and  inlet  to  prevent  any  ves- 
sel setting  sail  without  a  most  rigid  search  of  the  cargo  for 
concealed  Huguenots.  When  it  became  known  that  many 
had  escaped  in  empty  casks,  provision  was  made  to  meet  the 
case;  and  the  royal  order  was  issued  that,  before  any  ship 
was  allowed  to  sail  for  a  foreign  port,  the  hold  should  be  fu- 
migated with  deadly  gas,  so  that  any  hidden  Huguenot  who 
could  not  be  detected  might  thus  be  sutiocated.f  But  this 
expedient  was  only  of  a  piece  with  the  refined  and  malignant 
cruelty  of  the  Great  Louis,  and  it  failed  like  the  rest,  for  the 
Huguenots  still  continued  to  make  their  escape. 

It  can  never  be  knoAvn,  with  any  thing  a])proaching  to  ac- 
curacy, hoAv  many  jjersons  fled  from  France  in  the  great  ex- 
odus. Vauban,  the  military  engineer,  writing  only  a  few 
years  after  the  Revocation,  said  that  "France  had  lost  a 
hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  sixty  millions  of  money,  nine 
thousand  sailors,  twelve  thousand  tried  soldiers,  six  hundred 
ofticers,  and  its  most  flourishing  manufactures."  But  the  em- 
igration was  not  then  by  any  means  at  its  height,  and  for 
many  years  after  the  Huguenots  continued  to  swarm  out  of 
France,  and  join  their  exiled  compatriots  in  other  lands. 

*  Philip  Skelton  [Rector  of  Fintona,  county  Tyrone] — Compassion  for 
the  French  Protestant  Re/ufjees  rerowmendcd,  1751. 

■)■  "On  se  seiTait  d'une  composition  qui,  lorsq'on  3^  mettait  le  feu,  de'velloj)- 
pait  ime  odeur  mortelle  dans  tons  les  recoins  du  navire,  do  sorte  que,  en  la 
respirant,  ceux  qui  s'etaient  caclie's  trouvaient  une  mort  certaine!" — Hoyer 
— Hlstoire  <le  la  Colonic  Frangaise  ei^Prusse,  p.  153. 


THE  LOSS  TO  FRANCE.  1G9 

Sismondi  computed  the  total  number  of  emigrants  at  from 
three  to  four  hundred  thousand  ;  and  he  was  farther  of  opin- 
ion that  an  equal  number  perished  in  prison,  on  the  scafTold, 
at  the  galleys,  and  in  their  attemjits  to  escape.* 

The  emigration  gave  a  death-blow  to  several  great  branch- 
es of  French  industry.  Hundreds  of  manufactories  Avere 
closed,  whole  villages  were  depopulated,  many  large  towns 
half  deserted,  and  a  large  extent  of  land  went  altogether  out 
of  cultivation.  The  skilled  Dutch  cloth-workers,  whom  Col- 
bert had  induced  to  settle  at  Abbeville,  emigrated  in  a  body, 
and  the  manufticture  Avas  extinguished.  At  Tours,  where 
some  40,000  persons  had  been  employed  in  the  silk  manufac- 
ture, the  number  fell  to  little  more  than  4000  ;  and  instead 
of  8000  looms  at  work,  there  remained  only  about  100  ;  while 
of  800  mills,  730  Avere  closed.  Of  the  400  tanneries  which 
had  before  enriched  Lorraine,  Weiss  says  there  remained  but 
54  in  1698.  The  population  of  Nantes,  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous cities  of  France,  AA'as  reduced  from  80,000  to  less  than 
one  lialf ;  and  a  bloAV  Avas  struck  at  its  prosperity  from  Avhich 
it  has  not  to  this  day  recovered. 

The  Revocation  proved  almost  as  fotal  to  the  prosperity 
of  Lyons  as  it  did  to  that  of  Tours  and  Nantes.  That  city 
had  originally  been  indebted  for  its  silk  manufactures  to  the 
civil  and  religious  Avars  of  Sicily,  Italy,  and  Spain,  Avhich  oc- 
casioned numerous  refugees  from  those  countries  to  settle 
there  and  carry  on  their  trade.  And  noAV,  the  same  perse- 
cutions Avhich  had  made  the  prosperity  of  Lyons  threatened 
to  prove  its  ruin.  Of  about  12,000  artisans  employed  in  the 
silk  manufacture  of  Lyons,  about  9000  fled  into  Switzerland 
and  other  countries.  The  industry  of  tlie  place  Avas  for  a 
time  completely  prostrated.  More  than  a  hundred  years 
passed  before  it  Avas  restored  to  its  former  prosperity,  and 
then  only  to  suffer  another  equallj^  staggering  bloAV  from  the 

*  Eoiilainvillers  states  that,  under  the  intendancy  of  Lamoigiion  de  Baville, 
a  hundred  thousand  persons  were  destroyed  by  ]>reniatnre  death  in  the  single 
j)rovince  of  Languedoc,  and  that  one  tenth  of  tliem  perished  by  fire,  strangu- 
lation, or  on  the  wheel. — 1)e  Felice,  p.  JJIO. 


170  RENEWED  FLIGHT  OF  HUGUENOTS. 

violence  and  outrage  which  accompanied  the  outbreak  of  the 
French  Revohition. 

Without  pursuing  the  subject  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Hu- 
guenots Avho  remained  in  France,  of  whom  there  remained 
more  than  a  million,  notwithstanding  the  frightful  persecu- 
tions to  which  they  continued  to  be  subjected,*  let  us  now 
follow  the  fugitives  into  the  countries  in  which  they  found  a 
refuge,  and  observe  the  important  influence  which  they  exer- 
cised, not  only  on  their  industrial  prosj^erity,  but  also  on 
their  political  history. 

*  Although  Protestantism  seemed  to  be  utterly  stamped  out  in  France  dur- 
ing the  century  which  followed  the  Eevocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes — al- 
though its  ministers  were  banished,  its  churches  and  schools  suppressed,  and 
it  was  placed  entirely  beyond  the  pale  of  the  law — it  nevertheless  continued 
to  have  an  active  existence.  Many  of  the  banished  ministers  from  time  to 
time  returned  secretly  to  minister  to  their  flocks,  and  were  seized  and  suffer- 
ed death  in  consequence — as  many  as  twenty-nine  Protestant  pastors  having 
been  hanged  between  1(584  and  17(i2.  During  the  same  period,  thousands  of 
their  followers  were  sent  to  the  galleys,  and  died  there.  The  names  of  \'AC> 
of  tliese  illustrious  galley-slaves  are  given  in  Formats  pour  la  Foi,  but  the 
greater  number  have  been  long  forgotten  on  earth.  The  principal  offense  for 
which  thev  were  sent  to  the  galleys  was  attending  the  Protestant  meetings 
which  continued  to  be  held ;  for  the  Protestants,  after  the  Eevocation,  consti- 
tuted a  sort  of  underground  church,  regidarly  organized,  though  its  meetings 
were  held  by  night,  in  forests,  in  caves  among  the  hills,  or  in  unsuspected 
places  even  in  the  heart  of  large  towns  and  cities,  in  all  parts  of  France.  The 
"Churches  of  the  Desert,"  as  they  were  called,  continued  to  exist  down  to 
the  period  of  the  French  Kevolution,  when  I^rotestantism  in  France  was 
again  allowed  o])enly  to  show  itjself.  A  most  interesting  account  of  the  Prot- 
estant Church  in  P'rance  during  this  "underground"  period  is  to  be  found  in 
Charles  Coqueruls  Histoi?-e  des  Eylises  du  Desert,  in  2  vols.,  Paris,  1841. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    HUGUENOTS   AND   THE    ENGLISH    REVOLUTION   OF  1688. 

The  flight  of  the  French  Protestants  exercised  a  highly 
important  influence  on  European  politics.  Among  it-^  other 
efiects,  it  contributed  to  establish  religious  and  political  free- 
dom in  Switzerland,  and  to  render  it  in  a  measure  the  Pat- 
mos  of  Europe  ;  it  strengthened  the  foundations  of  liberty  in 
the  then  comparatively  insignificant  electorate  of  Branden- 
Inxrg,  which  has  since  become  developed  into  the  great  mon- 
archy of  Prussia;  it  fostered  the  strength  and  increased  the 
political  power  and  commercial  wealth  of  the  States  of  Hol- 
land; and  it  materially  contributed  to  the  success  of  the 
English  Revolution  of  1688,  and  to  the  establishment  of  the 
British  Constitution  on  its  present  basis. 

Long  before  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  the 
persecutions  of  the  French  Protestants  had  excited  the  gen- 
eral commiseration  of  Europe,  and  Switzerland  and  the  north- 
ern nations  vied  with  each  other  in  extending  to  them  their 
sympathy  and  their  help.  The  principal  seats  of  Protestant- 
ism being  in  Languedoc,  Dauphiny,  and  the  southwestern 
provinces  of  France,  the  first  emigrants  readily  passed  across 
the  frontier  of  the  Jura  and  Savoy  into  Switzerland,  mostly 
making  for  the  asylum  of  Geneva.  That  city  had  been  in  a 
measure  created  by  the  organization  of  Calvin,  who  had 
striven  to  make  it  a  sort  of  Christian  Sparta,  and  in  a  great 
degree  succeeded.  Under  his  regimen  the  place  had  become 
entirely  changed.  It  had  already  emancipated  itself  from 
the  authority  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  and  established  alliances 
with  adjoining  cantons  for  the  purpose  of  insuring  its  inde- 
pendence, when  Calvin  undertook  the  administration  of  its 


1 72  THE  H  i'G  UENO  TS  ABROAU. 

ecclesiastical  policy,  to  which  the  civil  power  shortly  became 
entirely  subordinate.  There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  rigor 
as  well  as  the  severity  of  Calvin's  rule ;  but  Geneva  was  sur- 
rounded by  ferocious  enemies,  and  had  to  struggle  for  very 
life.  The  French  historian  Mignet  has  in  a  few  Avords  de- 
scribed the  raj)id  progress  made  by  this  remarkable  commu- 
nity: 

"In  less  than  half  a  century  the  face  of  Geneva  had  become  entirely 
changed.  It  passed  through  three  consecuti\e  revolutions.  The  first  deliv- 
ered it  from  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  who  lost  his  delegated  authority  in  the  at- 
tempt to  convert  it  into  an  absolute  sovereignly.  The  second  introduced  into 
Geneva  the  Refenned  worship,  by  which  the  sovereignty  of  the  bishop  was 
destro3'ed.  The  third  constituted  the  Protestant  administration  of  Geneva, 
and  the  subordination  to  it  of  the  civil  power.  The  first  of  these  revolutions 
gave  Geneva  its  independence  of  the  ducal  power ;  the  second,  its  moral  re- 
generation and  political  sovereignty :  the  third,  its  greatness.  These  three 
revolutions  did  not  only  follow  each  other ;  the}'  were  linked  together. 
Switzerland  was  bent  on  liberty,  the  human  mind  on  emancipation.  The  lib- 
erty of  Switzerland  made  the  independence  of  Geneva,  tlie  emancipation  of 
the  human  mind  made  its  reformation.  These  changes  were  not  accomplish- 
ed without  difiiculties  nor  without  wars.  But  if  they  troubled  the  peace  of 
the  city,  if  they  agitated  the  people's  hearts,  if  they  divided  families,  if  they 
occasioned  imprisonments,  if  they  caused  blood  to  be  shed  in  the  streets,  they 
tempered  characters,  they  awoke  minds,  they  purified  morals,  they  formed 
citizens  and  men,  and  Geneva  issued  transformed  from  the  trials  through 
which  it  passed.  It  had  been  subject,  and  it  had  grown  indejiendent ;  it  had 
been  ignorant,  and  it  had  become  one  of  the  lights  of  Europe ;  it  had  been  a 
little  town,  and  it  was  now  a  capital  of  the  great  Cause.  Its  science,  its 
constitution,  its  gi-eatness,  were  the  work  of  France,  through  its  exiles  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  who,  unable  to  realize  their  ideas  in  their  own  country,  had 
carried  them  into  Switzerland,  whose  hospitality  they  repaid  by  giving  them 
a  new  worship,  and  the  spiritual  government  of  many  peoples."* 


*  Mignet — Memoires  Historiques,  Paris,  18.54,  p.  385-7.  In  one  of  his 
letters  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy  in  l,")it4,  Francis  de  Sales  urged  the  speedy  sup- 
pression of  Geneva  as  the  capital  of  heresy  and  Calvinism.  "All  the  here- 
tics," said  lie,  "'respect  Geneva  as  the  asylum  of  their  religion:  this  very 
year  a  person  came  out  of  Languedoc  to  visit  it  as  a  Catholic  might  ^-isit 
Rome.  There  is  not  a  city  in  Eiu'ope  which  offers  more  focilities  for  the  en- 
cotiragement  of  heresy,  for  it  is  the  gate  of  P'rance,  of  Italy,  and  Germany,  so 
that  one  finds  there  people  of  all  nations — Italians.  French,  Germans,  Poles, 
Spaniards,  English,  and  of  countries  still  more  remote.  Besides,  every  one 
knows  the  great  number  of  ministers  bred  there.     Last  year  it  furnished 


REFUUKES  IN  S  WITZERLAND.  1 73 

Geneva  having  thus  been  established  as  a  great  Protest- 
ant asyhim  and  strong-hold,  mainly  through  the  labors  of 
Frenchmen — Calvin,  Farel,  De  Beza,  D'Aubigny,  and  many 
more — the  fugitive  Protestants  naturally  directed  their  steps 
thither  in  the  first  place.  In  1685,  hundreds  of  them  were 
ai-riving  in  Geneva  daily;  but  as  the  place  was  already 
crowded,  and  the  accommodation  it  provided  was  but  limit- 
ed, the  greater  number  of  the  new  arrivals  traveled  onward 
into  the  interior  cantons.  Two  years  later,  the  refugees 
were  arriving  in  thousands,  mostly  from  Daujihiny  and 
Lyons,  the  greater  number  of  them  being  Protestant  arti- 
sans. As  the  persecution  began  to  rage  in  Gex,  close  upon 
the  Swiss  frontier,  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  population  were 
flying.  Geneva  became  so  crowded  with  fugitives  that  they 
had  to  camp  out  in  the  public  squares. 

The  stream  of  emigrants  was  not  less  considerable  at  Basle, 
Zurich,  Berne,  and  Lausanne.  The  embassador  of  Louis  XIV. 
wrote  to  his  royal  master, "  The  fugitives  continue  to  crowd 
to  Zurich  ;  I  met  a  number  of  them  on  the  road  from  Basle' 
to  Soleure."  A  month  later  he  informed  his  court  that  all 
tlie  roads  were  full  of  French  subjects  making  for  Berne  and 
Zurich ;  and  a  third  dispatch  informed  Louis  that  carts  lad- 
en with  fugitives  were  daily  passing  through  the  streets  of 
Basle.  As  the  fugitives  were  mostly  destitute,  the  Protest- 
ant cantons  provided  a  fund*  to  facilitate  the  transit  of  those 

twenty  to  France;  even  England  obtains  ministers  from  Geneva.  What 
shall  I  say  of  its  magnificent  printing  estabhshments,  by  means  of  which  the 
city  floods  the  world  with  its  wicked  books,  and  even  goes  the  length  of  dis- 
tributing them  at  the  public  expense?  .  .  .  All  the  enterprises  undertaken 
against  the  Holy  See  and  the  Catholic  princes  have  their  beginning  at  Geneva. 
iS'o  city  in  Europe  receives  more  apostates  of  all  grades,  secidar  and  regidar. 
From  thence  I  conclude  that  Geneva  being  destroyed  would  necessarily  lead 
to  the  dissipation  of  heresy." — Vie  de  Ste.  Francois. de  Saks,iyd.r  son  ne- 
veu  ;  Lyons,  U!38,  p.  120-1. 

*  The  city  of  Geneva  M-as  superbly  boimtiful.  In  1685,  the  citizens  con- 
tributed 88,161  florins  to  the  Protestant  refugee  fund.  As  the  emigration 
increased,  so  did  their  bounty,  until,  in  1707,  they  contributed  as  much  as 
234,672  florins  toward  the  expenses  of  the  emigration.  "Within  a  period 
of  forty  years,"  says  Graverol,  in  his  History  of  the  City  of  Nismes  (London, 
1 703),  ' '  Geneva  furnished  official  contributions  toward  the  assistance  of  the 
refugees  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  amounting  to  not  less  than  5,143,266  fl.oriiis." 


1 7  i  THE  H  UG  UENO  TS  A  BR  OA  D. 

whom  the  country  was  unable  to  maintain.  And  thus  15,591 
persons  were  forwarded  to  Germany  at  the  expense  of  the 
League. 

Louis  XIV.  beheld  with  vexation  the  departure  of  so  large 
a  portion  of  his  subjects,  who  preferred  flight  with  destitu- 
tion rather  than  French  citizenship  with  "  conversion ;"  and 
he  determined  to  interpose  with  a  strong  hand,  so  as,  if  possi- 
ble, to  prevent  their  farther  emigration.  Accordingly,  when 
the  people  of  Gex  went  flying  into  Geneva  in  crowds,  Louis 
called  upon  the  magistrates  at  once  to  expel  them.  The  re- 
publican city  was  then  comparatively  smaM  and  unarmed, 
and  unable  to  resist  the  will  of  a  monarch  so  powerful  and 
with  such  long  arms  as  Louis.  The  magistrates,  therefore, 
made  a  show  of  compliance  Avitli  his  orders,  and  directed  the 
expulsion  of  the  fugitives  by  sound  of  trumpet.  The  exiles 
left  by  the  French  gate  in  a  long  and  sad  procession ;  but  at 
midnight  the  citizens  went  forth  and  led  them  round  the 
walls,  bringing  them  into  Geneva  again  by  the  Swiss  gate. 
On  this  proceeding  being  reported  to  him,  Louis  vowed  ven- 
geance upon  Geneva  for  thus  trifling  Avith  his  express  orders, 
and  giving  refuge  to  his  contumacious  subjects.  But  Berne 
and  Zurich  having  hastened  to  profler  their  support  to  Gene- 
va, the  French  king's  threats  remained  unexecuted.  The  ref- 
ugees, accordingly,  remained  in  Switzerland,  and  settled  in 
the  various  Protestant  cantons,  where  they  founded  many 
important  branches  of  industry,  which  continue  to  flourish  to 
this  day. 

The  Protestant  refugees  received  a  like  cordial  welcome 
in  the  provinces  of  North  Germany,  where  they  succeeded  in 
establishing  many  important  and  highly  flourishing  colonies. 
The  province  of  Brandenburg,  which  formed  the  nucleus  of 
modern  Prussia,  had  been  devastated  and  almost  ruined  by 
the  Thirty  Years'  War.     Its  trade  and  manufactures  Avere  de- 

The  sums  expended  by  the  cantons  of  Beme  and  Vaud  during  tlie  same  pe- 
riod exceeded  4,()0(),()00  florins.  Tliis  expenditure  was  altogether  exclusive 
of  the  individual  contributions  and  jirivate  hospitality  of  the  Swiss  people, 
which  were  alike  liberal  and  bountiful. 


REt'UGEES  IN  PRUSSIA.  175 

stroyed,  and  much  of  its  soil  lay  uncultivated.  The  elector 
Frederick  William  was  desirous  of  restoring  its  population  ; 
and,  with  that  view,  he  sought  to  attract  into  it  men  of  skill 
and  industry  from  all  quarters.  The  Protestants  whom  the 
King  of  France  Avas  driving  out  of  his  kingdom  were  pre- 
cisely the  men  whom  the  elector  desired  for  subjects,  and  he 
sent  repeated  invitations  to  the  persecuted  Huguenots  to  set- 
tle in  Brandenburg,  with  the  promise  of  liberty  of  worship, 
protection,  and  hospitality.  As  early  as  1661,  numerous  ref- 
ugees embraced  his  offer  and  settled  in  Berlin,  where  they 
prospered,  increased,  and  eventually  founded  a  flourishing 
French  church. 

The  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  furnished  the 
elector  with  an  opportunity  for  rencAving  his  invitation  with 
greater  effect  than  before ;  and  the  promulgation  of  the 
Edict  of  Paris  was  almost  immediately  followed  by  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  Edict  of  Potsdam.  By  the  latter  edict, 
men  of  the  Reformed  religion,  driven  out  of  France  for  con- 
science' sake,  were  offered  a  free  and  safe  retreat  through  all 
the  dominions  of  the  elector,  and  promised  rights,  franchises, 
and  other  advantages  on  their  settlement  in  Brandenburg, 
"  in  order  to  relieve  them,  and  in  some  sort  to  make  amends 
for  the  calamities  with  which  Providence  has  thought  fit  to 
visit  so  considerable  a  part  of  His  Church."*  Facilities  were 
provided  to  enable  the  emigrants  from  France  to  reach  the 
Prussian  states.  Those  from  the  southern  and  eastern  prov- 
inces of  France  were  directed  to  make  for  the  Rhine,  and 
thence  to  find  their  way  by  boats  to  Frankfort-on-the-Maine, 
or  to  Cleves,  where  the  Prussian  authorities  awaited  them 
with  subsidies  and  the  means  of  traveling  eastward.  Free 
shipping  was  also  provided  for  them  at  Amsterdam,  from 
Avhence  they  were  to  proceed  to  Hamburg,  where  the  Prus- 
sian resident  was  directed  to  assist  them  in  reaching  their 
intended  destinations. 

These  measures  shortly  had  the  effect  of  attracting  large 
*  Weiss — History  of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees,  p.  100, 


L76  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

munbeis  of  Huguenots  into  the  northern  provinces  of  Ger- 
many. Tlie  city  of  Frankfort  became  crowded  Avith  those 
arriving  from  the  eastern  provinces  of  France.  Tlie  fugi- 
tives were  every  where  made  welcome,  taken  by  the  hand, 
succored  and  helped.  The  elector  assisted  them  with  money 
out  of  his  own  private  means.  "  I  will  sell  my  plate,"  he 
said, "rather  than  they  should  lack  assistance." 

On  arriving  in  Brandenburg,  the  emigrants  proceeded  to 
establish  their  colonies  throughout  the  electorate.  Nearly 
every  large  town  in  Prussia  had  its  French  church,  and  one 
or  more  French  pastors.  The  celebrated  Ancillon  was  pas- 
tor of  the  church  at  Berlin;  and  many  of  the  Protestant  gen- 
try resorted  thither,  attracted  by  his  reputation.  The  Hu- 
ijuenot  immigration  into  Prussia  consisted  of  soldiers,  gentle- 
men, men  of  letters  and  artists,  traders,  manufocturers,  and 
laborers.  "  All  received  assistance,"  says  Weiss, "  in  money, 
employments,  and  privileges  ;  and  they  contributed,  in  their 
turn,  in  a  proportion  very  superior  to  their  number,  to  the 
greatness  of  their  adopted  country."* 

Numerous  other  bodies  of  the  refugees  settled  in  the 
smaller  states  of  Germany,  in  Demnark,  in  Sweden,  and  even 
in  Russia.  A  considerable  body  of  them  crossed  the  Atlantic 
and  settled  in  the  United  States  of  America ;  others,  led  by 
a  nephew  of  Admiral  Duquesne,  emigrated  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  ;t  while  a  colony  settled  as  remote  from  France 

*  The  personal  history  and  particulars  ol  the  refugees  who  settled  in  Prus- 
sia are  given  at  full  length  in  the  work  published  at  Berhn,  in  i)  vols.  8vo,  by 
Messrs.  Erman  and  Ke'clam,  entitled  Meinoires  jmur  servir  a  rHistoire  des 
lii'/'ugies  Francois  dans  les  Etats  du  Rot. 

t  According  to  Weiss  (book  v.,  chap,  v.),  there  are  now  in  Cape  Colony 
some  4000  descendants  of  Huguenot  refugees,  residing  in  French  Valley.  In 
1 73!)  the  Dutch  government  proscribed  the  French  language,  and  their  lan- 
guage is  therefore  now  Dutch ;  but  they  continue  to  be  known  by  their  sur- 
names (such  as  Cocher,  Dutoit,  Malherbe,  Ketif ),  by  their  personal  appear- 
ance, and  by  their  rehgious  habits.  On  each  parlor  table  is  one  of  those  great 
folio  Bibles  which  the  French  Protestants  were  wont  to  hand  down  from 
father  to  son,  and  in  which  the  dates  of  birth  and  the  names  of  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  fomily  are  invariably  inscribed.  Clement  Marot's  Psalms  and 
religious  books  are  often  to  be  found  among  them.  Night  and  morning  the 
members  of  each  family  assemble  for  prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  Bible. 
Every  Sunday  at  sum-ise  the  farmers  set  out  iu  their  rustic  vehicles,  covered 


THE  A  S  YL  UM  IN  HOLLAND.  '  177 

as  Surinam,  in  Dutch  Guiana.  But  Holland  and  England 
constituted  the  principal  asylums  of  the  exiled  Huguenots — 
Holland  in  the  first  instance,  and  England  in  the  next ;  many 
of  them  passmg  from  the  one  country  to  the  other  in  the 
course  of  the  great  political  movements  which  followed  close 
upon  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 

Holland  had  long  been  a  refuge  for  the  persecuted  Prot- 
estants of  Europe.  During  the  religious  troubles  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  exiles  fled  to  it  from  all  quarters — from  Ger- 
many, Flanders,  France,  and  England.  During  the  reign  of 
Queen  Mary  thirty  thousand  English  Protestants  fled  thither, 
who  for  the  most  part  returned  to  England  on  the  accession 
of  Elizabeth.  There  were  colonies  of  foreign  exiles  settled 
in  nearly  all  the  United  Provinces — of  Germans  in  Friesland 
and  Guelderland,  and  of  Walloons  in  Amsterdam,  Haerlem, 
Leyden,  Delft,  and  other  towns  in  North  and  South  Holland. 
And  now  these  refugees  were  joined  by  a  still  greater  influx 
of  persecuted  Protestants  from  all  parts  of  France.  Bayle 
designated  Holland  "  the  great  ark  of  the  fugitives."  It  be- 
came the  chief  European  centre  of  free  thought,  free  religion, 
and  free  industry.  A  healthy  spirit  of  liberty  pervaded  it, 
which  awakened  and  cultivated  the  best  activities  and  ener 
gies  of  its  people. 

The  ablest  minds  of  France,  proscribed  by  Louis  XIV., 
took  refuge  in  the  Low  Countries,  where  they  taught  from 
professors'  chairs,  preached  from  pulpits,  and  spoke  to  all  Eu- 
rope through  the  medium  of  the  printing-press.  Descartes, 
driven  from  France,  betook  himself  to  Holland,  where  he 
spent  twenty  years,*  and  published  his  principal  philosoph- 
ical works.     It  was  the  retreat  of  Bayle,  Huyghens,  Jurieu, 

with  hides  or  with  coarse  cloth,  to  attend  divine  sen'ice,  and  at  night  they 
return  to  their  peaceful  homes.  The  news  of  the  world  takes  a  long  time  to 
reach  them.  In  1828,  when  evangelical  missionaries  told  them  that  religious 
toleration  had  existed  in  France  for  forty  years,  the  old  men  shed  tears,  and 
long  refused  to  believe  that  their  brethren  could  be  so  favorably  treated  in  a 
country  from  which  their  ancestors  had  been  so  cruelly  expelled. 

*  He  died  in  KJilO  at  Stockholm,  whither  he  had  proceeded  and  settled  on 
the  express  in^-itation  of  Christina,  queen  of  Sweden. 

M 


178  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

and  many  nioi*e  of  the  best  men  of  France,  who  there  uttered 
and  printed  freely  what  they  could  do  nowhere  else.  Among- 
the  most  stirring  books  which  emanated  from  the  French 
press  in  Holland  were  those  of  Jurieu — formerly  professor  of 
theology  and  Hebrew  in  the  University  of  Sedan — who  now 
sought  to  rouse  the  indignation  of  Europe  against  the  tyran- 
ny of  Louis  XrV.  His  writings  were  not  permitted  to  pass 
into  France,  where  all  works  hostile  to  the  king  and  the  Jesu- 
its Avere  seized  and  burnt ;  but  they  spread  over  Northern 
Europe,  and  fanned  the  general  indignation  into  a  fiercer 
flame. 

Among  the  celebrated  French  Protestant  divines  w^ho  took 
refuge  in  Holland  were  Claude,  Basnage,  Martin,  Benoit,  and 
Saurin.  Academies  were  expressly  established  at  Leyden, 
Rotterdam,  and  Utrecht,  in  which  the  more  distinguished  of 
the  banished  ministers  were  appointed  to  professors'  chairs, 
while  others  were  distributed  throughout  the  principal  towns 
and  placed  in  charge  of  Protestant  churches.  A  fund  was 
raised  by  voluntary  subscription  for  the  relief  of  the  fugi- 
tives, to  which  all  parties  cheerfully  and  liberally  contrib- 
uted— not  only  Lutherans  and  Calvinists,  but  Jews,  and  even 
Roman  Catholics. 

The  public,  as  well  as  the  private  hospitality  of  Holland 
toward  the  fugitives  was  indeed  splendid.  The  magistrates 
of  Amsterdam  not  only  freely  conferred  on  them  the  rights 
of  citizenship,  with  liberty  to  exercise  their  respective  call- 
ings, but  granted  them  exemption  from  local  taxes  for  three 
years.  The  States  of  Holland  and  the  province  of  Friesland 
granted  them  similar  privileges,  with  an  exemption  from  all 
imposts  for  a  period  of  twelve  years.  Every  encouragement 
Avas  given  to  the  immigration.  Not  a  town  but  was  ready 
to  Avelcome  and  help  the  destitute  foreigners.  The  people 
received  them  into  their  houses  as  guests,  and  Avhen  the  pri- 
vate dwellings  Avere  filled,  public  establishments  Avere  opened 
for  their  accommodation.  All  this  Avas  not  enough.  The 
Dutch,  hearing  of  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  exiles  hi  S^vitzer- 


WILLIAM  OF  ORANGE.  179 

land,  sent  invitations  to  them  to  come  into  Holland,  where 
they  held  out  that  there  was  room  for  all. 

The  result  was  an  immense  increase  of  the  emigration  from 
France  into  Holland  of  men  of  all  ranks — artisans,  cloth-mak- 
ers, silk-weavers,  glass-makers,  printers,  and  manufacturers. 
They  were  distributed,  on  their  arrival,  throughout  the  vari- 
ous towns  and  cities,  where  they  settled  to  the  pursuit  of  J 
their  respective  callings,  and  in  course  of  a  short  time  they 
more  than  repaid,  by  the  exercise  of  their  industry  and  their 
skill,  the  splendid  hospitality  of  their  benefactors. 

Another  important  feature  of  the  immigration  into  Holland 
remains  to  be  mentioned.  This  was  the  influx  of  a  large 
number  of  the  best  sailors  of  France,  from  the  coasts  of  Gui- 
enne,  Saintonge,  La  Rochelle,  Poitou,  and  Normandy,  togeth- 
er with  a  still  larger  number  of  veteran  officers  and  soldiers 
of  the  French  army.  This  accession  of  refugees  had  the  effect 
of  greatly  adding  to  the  strength  both  of  the  Dutch  navy  and  [ 
army,  and,  as  we  shall  hereafter  find,  exercised  a  most  im-  > 
portant  influence  on  the  political  history  both  of  Holland  and 
England. 

Louis  XIV.  endeavored  to  check  the  emigration  of  his  sub- 
jects into  Holland,  as  he  had  tried  to  stop  their  flight  into 
Switzerland  and  England,  but  in  vain.  His  envoy  expostu- 
lated against  their  reception  by  the  States ;  and  the  States 
reiterated  their  proclamations  of  privileges  to  the  refugees. 
It  came  to  be  feared  that  Louis  would  declare  war  against 
Holland ;  but  the  Prince  of  Orange  had  once  before  arrested 
the  progress  of  Louis  in  his  invasion  of  the  provinces  in  1672, 
and  he  longed  for  nothing  so  much  as  for  another  encounter 
with  the  French  tyrant. 

William,  prince  of  Orange  and  stadtholder  of  Holland, 
hated  France  as  his  grandfather  had  hated  Spain.  Under  an 
appearance  of  physical  weakness  and  phlegmatic  indifl[*erence 
he  concealed  an  ardent  mind  and  an  indomitable  will.  He  was 
cool  and  taciturn,  yet  full  of  courage  and  even  daring.  He 
was  one  of  those  rare  men  wlio  never  know  despair.     When 


180  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

the  great  French  army  of  100,000  men,  under  Conde  and  Tu- 
renne,  swept  over  Flanders  in  1672,  capturing  city  after  city, 
and  approached  Amsterdam,  tlie  inhabitants  became  filled 
with  dread.  De  Witt  proposed  submission;  but  William, 
then  only  twenty-two  years  of  age,  urged  resistance,  and  his 
view  was  supported  by  the  people.  He  declared  that  he 
would  die  in  the  last  ditch  rather  than  see  the  ruin  of  his 
country,  and,  true  to  his  word,  he  ordered  the  dikes  to  be  cut 
and  the  country  laid  under  water.  The  independence  of  Hol- 
land was  thus  saved,  but  at  a  frightful  cost ;  and  William 
never  forgot,  perhaps  never  forgave,  the  injury  which  Louis 
thereby  caused  him  to  inflict  upon  Holland. 

William  had  another  and  more  personal  cause  of  quarrel 
with  Louis.  The  prince  took  his  title  from  the  small  but  in- 
dependent principality  of  Orange,  situated  in  the  southeast 
of  France,  a  little  to  the  north  of  Avignon.  Though  Oranae 
was  a  fief  of  the  imperial  and  not  of  the  French  crown,  Louis, 
disregarding  public  law,  overran  it,  dismantled  the  fortifica- 
tions of  the  principal  town,  and  subjected  the  Protestants  of 
the  districts  to  the  same  cruelties  which  he  practiced  upon 
his  own  subjects  of  that  faith.  On  being  informed  of  these 
outrages,  William  declared  aloud  at  his  table  that  the  Most 
Christian  King  "  should  be  made  to  know  one  day  what  it 
Avas  to  have  ofi"ended  a  Prince  of  Orange."  Louis's  embassa- 
dor at  the  Hague  having  questioned  the  prince  as  to  the 
meaning  of  the  words,  the  latter  positively  refused  either  to 
retract  or  explain  them. 

It  may  not  be  unimportant  to  remark  that  William  was, 
like  the  other  princes  of  his  race,  an  intense  Protestant.  The 
history  of  his  family  was  identified  with  the  rise  and  prog- 
ress of  the  new  views,  as  well  as  with  the  emancipation  of 
the  United  Provinces  from  the  yoke  of  Spain  and  the  Inqui- 
sition. His  grandfather  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  dagger  of 
Gerard,  the  agent  of  the  Jesuits,  and  expired  in  the  arms  of 
his  Avife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Admiral  Coligny,  the  re- 
nowned victim  of  Saint  Bartholomew.     Thus  the  best  IIuGrue- 


WILLIAM  AND  THE  STUARTS.  181 

not  Mood  flowed  in  the  veins  of  the  young  Prince  of  Orange, 
and  his  sympathies  were  wholly  on  the  side  of  the  fugitives 
who  sought  the  asylum  of  Holland  against  the  cruelty  of 
their  persecutor. 

At  the  same  time,  William  was  doubly  related  to  the  En- 
glish royal  family.  His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Charles 
L,  and  his  wife  was  the  daughter  of  James  H.,  then  reigning 
kmg  of  England.  James  being  then  without  male  issue,  the 
Princess  of  Orange  was  thus  the  heiress-presumptive  to  the 
British  throne.  Though  William  may  have  been  ambitious, 
he  was  cautious  and  sagacious,  and  probably  had  not  the  re- 
motest idea  of  anticipatmg  the  succession  of  his  wife  by  the 
overthrow  of  the  government  of  his  father-in-law,  but  for  the 
circumstance  about  to  be  summarily  described,  and  which  is- 
sued in  the  Revolution  of  1688. 

Although  the  later  Stuart  kings,  who  were  Roman  Catho- 
lics more  or  less  disguised,  had  no  love  for  Protestantism, 
they  nevertheless  felt  themselves  under  the  necessity  of  con- 
tinuing the  policy  initiated  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  of  giving  a 
free  asylum  in  England  to  the  persecuted  French  Huguenots. 
In  1681,  Charles  H.  was  constrained  by  public  opinion  to 
sanction  a  bill  granting  large  pi'ivileges  to  such  of  the  refu- 
gees as  should  land  on  our  shores.  They  were  to  have  free 
letters-patent  granted  them;  and  on  their  arrival  at  any  of 
the  outports,  their  baggage  and  stock  in  trade — when  they 
had  any  —  were  to  be  landed  duty  free.  But  the  greater 
number  arrived  destitute.  For  example,  a  newspaper  of  the 
day  thus  announced  the  landmg  of  a  body  of  the  refugees  at 
Plymouth : 

"Plymouth,  6th  September,  1681. — An  open  boat  arrived  here  yesterday, 
in  which  were  forty  or  fifty  Protestants  who  resided  outside  La  Eochelle. 
Four  other  boats  left  with  this,  one  of  which  is  said  to  have  put  into  Dart- 
mouth, but  it  is  not  yet  known  what  became  of  the  other  three. " 

Large  numbers  of  the  fugitives  continued  to  land  at  all 
the  southern  ports — at  Dover,  at  Rye,  at  Southampton,  Dart- 
mouth, and  Plymouth;  and,  wherever  they  landed,  they  re- 


182  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

ceived  a  cordial  welcome.  Many  were  pastors,  wlio  came 
ashore  hungering  and  in  rags,  lamenting  the  flocks,  and  some 
the  wives  and  children  they  had  left  behind  them  in  France. 
The  people  crowded  round  the  venerable  sufferers  with  in- 
dignant and  pitying  hearts ;  they  received  them  into  their 
dwellings,  and  hospitably  relieved  their  wants.  Very  soon, 
the  flocks  followed  in  the  wake  of  their  pastors ;  and  the 
landings  of  the  refugees  continued  for  many  years,  during 
which  they  crowded  all  the  southern  ports.  The  local  cler- 
gy led  and  directed  the  hospitality  of  the  inhabitants ;  and 
they  usually  placed  the  parish  church  at  their  disposal  dur- 
ing a  part  of  each  Sunday,  until  they  could  be  provided  with 
special  accommodation  of  their  own.* 

The  sight  of  so  much  distress,  borne  so  patiently  and  un- 
complainingly, deeply  stirred  the  heart  of  the  nation,  and 
every  effort  was  made  to  succor  and  help  the  poor  exiles 
for  conscience'  sake.  Public  collections  were  made  in  the 
churches,  and  a  fund  was  raised  for  the  relief  of  the  most  ne- 
cessitous, and  for  enabling  tlie  foreigners  to  proceed  inland 
to  places  where  they  could  pursue  their  industry.  Many 
were  thus  forwarded  from  the  sea-coast  to  London,  Canter- 
bury, Norwich,  and  other  places,  where  they  eventually 
formed  prosperous  settlements,  and  laid  the  foundations  of 
important  branches  of  industry. 

Meanwhile  James  11,  succeeded  to  the  British  throne  at 

*  At  Rye,  the  refugees  were  granted  the  use  of  the  parish  churcli  from 
eight  to  ten  in  the  morning,  and  from  twelve  to  two  in  the  afternoon — the 
appropriation  being  duly  confirmed  liy  the  Council  of  State.  Reports  having 
been  spread  abroad  that  tlie  fugitives  were  persons  of  bad  character,  disaf- 
fected, and  Papists  in  disguise,  the  vicar  and  princij)al  citizens  of  Rye  drew 
up  and  published  the  following  testimonial  in  their  behalf: 

"These  are  to  certifie  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that  the  French  Prot- 
estants who  are  settled  inhabitants  of  this  town  of  Rye  are  a  sober,  harmless, 
innocent  people,  such  as  sen-e  God  constantly  and  imifomily,  according  to 
the  nsage  and  custom  of  the  Church  of  England.  And  further,  that  we  be- 
lieve them  to  be  falsely  aspersed  for  Papists  and  disaffected  persons,  no  such 
thing  appearing  unto  us  by  the  conversations  of  any  of  them.  This  we  do 
freely  and  truly  certifie  for  and  of  them.  In  witness  whereof,  we  have  here- 
unto set  our  hands,  the  18th  day  of  April,  1G82.  Wm.  Williams,  Vicar; 
Thos.  Tournay,"  etc.,  etc. — State  Papers,  Domestic  Calendar,  1G82,  No.  65. 
See  also  Sussex  Archceological  Collection,  xiii.,  201. 


JAMES  11.  OF  ENGLAND.  183 

the  death  of  his  brother  Charles  II.,  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1685 — the  year  memorable  m  France  as  that  in  which  the 
Edict  of  Nantes  was  revoked.  Charles  and  James  were  both 
Roman  Catholics — Charles  when  he  was  not  a  scoffer,  James 
always.  The  latter  had  long  been  a  friend  of  the  Jesuits  in 
disguise  ;  but  no  sooner  was  he  king  than  he  threw  off  the 
mask,  and  exhibited  himself  in  his  true  character.  James 
was  not  a  man  to  gather  wisdom  from  experience.  During 
the  exile  of  his  family  he  had  learned  nothing  and  forgotten 
nothing;  and  it  shortly  became  clear  to  the  English  nation 
that  he  was  bent  on  pursuing  almost  the  identical  course 
which  had  cost  his  father  his  crown  and  his  head. 

If  there  was  one  feeling  that  characterized  the  English 
people  about  this  time  more  than  another,  it  was  their  aver- 
sion to  popery — not  merely  popery  as  a  religion,  but  as  a 
policy.  It  was  felt  to  be  contrary  to  the  whole  spirit,  char- 
acter, and  tendency  of  the  nation.  Popery  had  so  repeated- 
ly exhibited  itself  as  a  persecuting  polic}^  that  not  only  the 
religious,  but  the  non-religious ;  not  only  the  intelligent  few, 
but  the  illiterate  many,  regarded  it  with  feelings  of  deep 
aversion.  Great,  therefore,  was  the  public  indignation  when 
it  became  known  that  one  of  the  first  acts  of  James,  on  his 
accession  to  the  throne,  was  to  order  the  public  celebration 
of  the  mass  at  Westminster,  after  an  interval  of  more  than  a 
century.  The  king  also  dismissed  from  about  his  person 
clergymen  of  the  English  Church,  and  introduced  well-known 
Jesuits  in  their  stead.  He  degraded  several  of  the  bishops, 
though  he  did  not  yet  venture  openly  to  persecute  them. 
But  he  showed  his  temper  and  his  tendency  by  actively  re- 
viving the  persecutions  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterians,  Avhom 
he  pursued  with  a  cruelty  only  equaled  by  Louis  XIV.  in  his . 
dealings  with  the  Huguenots.* 

James  H.  was  but  the  too  ready  learner  of  the  lessons  in 

*  In  Scotland,  whoever  was  detected  preaching  in  a  conventicle  or  attend- 
ing one  was  jninishahle  with  death  and  the  confiscation  of  all  his  property. 
Macaulay  says  the  Scotch  Act  of  Parliament  (James  VII.,  8th  May,  168o) 
enacting  these  penalties  was  passed  at  the  special  instance  of  the  king. 


184  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

despotism  taught  him  by  Louis  XIV.,  whose  pensioner*  he 
was,  and  whose  ixltimate  victim  he  j^roved  to  be.  The  two 
men,  indeed,  resembled  each  other  in  many  respects,  and 
their  actions  ran  in  almost  parallel  lines,  though  those  who 
concede  to  Louis  the  title  of  "  Great"  will  probably  object 
that  the  English  king  was  merely  the  ape  of  the  French  one.f 
They  were  both  dissolute,  and  both  bigots,  vibrating  alter- 
nately between  their  mistresses  and  their  confessors.  What 
La  Valliere,  Montespan,  and  Main  tenon  were  to  Louis  XIV., 
that  Arabella  Churchill  and  Catharine  Sedley  were  to  James 
n.,  while  the  queens  of  both  Avere  left  to  pme  m  sorrow  and 
neglect.  The  principal  difference  between  them  in  this  re- 
spect was,  that  Louis  sinned  with  comely  mistresses,  and 
James  with  ugly  ones.  J  Louis  sought  absolution  from  Pere 
la  Chaise,  as  James  from  Father  Petre ;  and  when  penance 
had  to  be  done,  both  laid  it  alike  upon  their  Protestant  sub- 
jects— Louis  increasing  the  pressure  of  persecution  on  the 
Huguenots,  and  James  upon  the  Puritans  and  Covenanters. 
Both  employed  military  missionaries  in  carrying  out  their 
designs  of  conversion ;  the  agents  of  Louis  being  the  "  drag- 
ons" of  Noailles,  those  of  James  the  dragoons  of  Claverhouse. 
Both  were  despisers  of  constitutional  power,  and  sought  to 

*  James  II.  was  from  the  first  the  pensioner  of  Louis  XIV.  One  of  his 
first  acts  on  the  death  of  Charles  was  to  su]ipheate  Barillon,  the  representa- 
tive of  Louis  at  the  English  court,  for  money.  Rochester,  James's  prime 
minister,  said  to  Barillon,  "The  money  will  be  well  laid  out;  your  master 
can  not  employ  his  revenues  better.  Kepresent  to  him  strongly  how  import- 
ant it  is  that  the  King  of  England  should  be  dependent,  not  on  his  own  peo- 
ple, but  on  the  friendship  of  the  King  of  France  alone."  Louis  had  already 
anticipated  the  wishes  of  James  by  remitting  to  him  bills  of  exchange  equal 
to  £87,  .500  sterling.  James  shed  tears  of  joy  on  receiving  them.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks  Barillon  obtained  a  further  remittance  from  France  of 
about  £12,000  sterling,  and  he  was  instnicted  to  furnish  the  English  govern- 
ment with  the  money  for  the  jtuqjose  of  corrupting  members  of  the  new 
House  of  Commons. — See  Macaulay's  Hist,  of  Einjlmul,  ed.  1849,  p.  4.")8,  463. 

t  Thus  James  aped  Louis  even  in  his  wcjrshi]),  introducing  four-and-twen- 
tv  fiddlers  in  his  church  choir  after  the  French  king's  model. 
"  X  (  harles  IL  used  to  say  that  one  might  lancy  his  brother's  mistresses 
were  given  to  liim  by  his  father's  confessor  as  jjcnances,  they  were  all  so  ugly. 
Catharine  Sedley  herself  wondered  what  James  chose  them  for.  "  We  ^\■ere 
none  of  us  handsome,"  she  said,  "and  if  we  had  wit,  he  had  not  enough  to 
find  it  out." 


DESPO  TIC  ME  A  S  URES  OE  JAMES  II.  1 85 

centre  the  government  in  themselves.  But,  while  Louis  suc- 
ceeded in  crushing  the  Huguenots,  James  ignominiously  fail- 
ed in  crushing  the  Puritans.  Louis,  it  is  true,  brought  France 
to  the  verge  of  ruin,  and  paved  the  way  for  the  French  Rev- 
olution of  1*792;  Avhile,  happily  for  England,  the  designs  of 
James  were  summarily  thwarted  by  the  English  Revolution 
of  1688,  and  the  ruin  of  his  kingdom  was  thus  averted. 

The  designs  of  James  upon  the  consciences  of  his  people 
Avere  not  long  in  developing  themselves.  The  persecution 
of  the  Scotch  Covenanters  was  carried  on  with  increased  vir- 
ulence until  resistance  almost  disaj^peared,  and  then  he  turn- 
ed his  attention  to  the  English  Puritans.  Baxter,  Howe,  Bun- 
yan,  and  hundreds  of  nonconformist  ministers  w^ere  thrown 
into  jail;  but  there  were  as  yet  no  hangings  and  shootings  of 
them  as  in  Scotland.  To  strengthen  his  power,  and  enable 
him  to  adopt  more  decisive  measures,  James  next  took  steps 
to  augment  the  standing  army — a  measure  which  exposed 
him  to  increased  public  odium.  Though  contrary  to  law,  he 
in  many  cases  dismissed  the  Protestant  officers  of  regiments, 
and  appointed  Roman  Catholics  in  their  stead.  To  render 
the  appointments  legal,  he  proposed  to  repeal  the  Test  Act, 
as  well  as  the  Habeas  Corjius  Act ;  but  his  minister  Halifax 
refusing  to  concur  in  this  course,  he  was  dismissed,  and  Par- 
liament adjourned.  Immediately  before  its  reassembling 
came  the  news  from  France  of  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes  and  the  horrible  cruelties  perpetrated  on  the  Hu- 
guenots. The  intelligence  caused  a  thrill  of  indignation  to 
run  throughout  England ;  and  very  shortly,  crowds  of  the 
destitute  fugitives  landed  on  the  southern  coast,  and  spread 
abroad  the  tale  of  horror. 

Shortly  after,  there  came  from  France  the  report  of  a 
speech  addressed  by  the  Bishop  of  Valance  to  Louis  XFV. 
in  the  name  of  the  French  clergy.  "  The  pious  sovereign 
of  England,"  said  the  orator,  "  looked  to  the  Most  Christian 
King,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Church,  for  support  against  a 
heretical  nation."     The  natural  inference  draAvn  was,  that 


1 8G  THE  HUG  UENO  TS  A  BR OAD. 

what  Louis  liad  done  in  France,  James  was  about  to  imitate 
in  England  by  means  of  his  new  standing  army,  commanded 
by  Roman  Catholic  officers. 

To  allay  the  general  alarm  which  began  to  prevail,  James 
pretended  to  disapprove  of  the  cruelties  to  which  the  Hugue- 
nots had  been  subjected ;  and,  in  deference  to  public  opinion, 
he  granted  some  relief  to  the  exiles  from  his  privy  purse,  and 
invited  his  subjects  to  imitate  his  liberality  by  making  a 
public  collection  for  them  in  the  churches  throughout  the 
kingdom.  His  acts,  however,  speedily  belied  his  words.  At 
the  instigation  of  Barillon,  he  had  the  book  published  in  Hol- 
land by  the  banished  Huguenot  pastor  Claude,  describing  the 
sufferings  of  his  brethren,  burnt  by  the  hangman  before  the 
Royal  Exchange ;  and  when  the  public  collection  Avas  made 
in  the  churches,  and  £40,000  was  paid  into  the  chamber  of 
London,  James  gave  orders  that  none  should  receive  a  far- 
thing of  relief  unless  they  first  took  the  sacrament  according 
to  the  Anglican  ritual.  Many  of  the  exiles  w'ho  came  for 
help,  when  they  heard  of  the  terms  on  which  alone  it  was 
to  be  granted,  went  away,  unrelieved,  with  sad  and  sorrow- 
ful hearts, 

James  proceeded  steadily  on  his  reactionary  course.  He 
ordered  warrants  to  be  drawn,  in  defiance  of  the  law,  author- 
izing priests  of  the  Church  of  Rome  to  hold  benefices  in  the 
Church  of  England;  and  various  appointments  were  made  in 
conformity  with  his  royal  will.  A  Jesuit  was  quartered  as 
chaplain  in  University  College,  Oxford,  and  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic rites  were  there  publicly  celebrated.  The  deanery  of 
Christchurch  was  presented  to  a  minister  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  mass  was  duly  celebrated  there.  Roman  Catho- 
lic chapels  and  convents  rose  all  over  the  country ;  and  Fran- 
ciscan, Carmelite,  and  Benedictine  monks  appeared  openly, 
in  their  cowls,  beads,  and  conventual  garb.  The  king  made 
no  secret  of  his  intention  to  destroy  the  Protestant  Church ; 
and  he  lost  no  time  in  carrying  out  his  measures,  even  in  the 
face  of  i^opular  tumult  and  occasional  rioting,  placing  his  re- 


THE  ENGLISH  CRISIS,  187 

liance  mainly  upon  his  standing  army,  which  was  then  en- 
camped on  Hounslow  Heath.  At  the  same  time,  Tyrconnel 
was  sent  over  to  Ireland  to  root  out  the  Protestant  colonies 
there,  and  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  cast  adrift  about  4000 
Protestant  officers  and  soldiers,  supplanting  them  by  as  many 
stanch  Papists.  Those  in  his  confidence  boasted  that  in  a 
few  months  there  would  not  be  a  man  of  English  race  left  in 
the  Irish  army.  The  Irish  Protestants,  indeed,  began  to  fear 
another  massacre,  and  a  number  of  families,  principally  gen- 
tlemen, artificers,  and  tradesmen,  left  Dublin  for  England  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days. 

At  length  resistance  began  to  show  itself  The  Parlia- 
ments both  of  England  and  Scotland  pronounced  against  the 
king's  policy,  and  he  was  unable  to  carry  his  measures  by 
constitutional  methods.  He  accordingly  resolved,  like  Louis 
XIV.,  to  rule  by  the  strong  hand,  and  to  govern  by  royal 
edict.  Such  was  the  state  of  aff'airs,  rapidly  verging  on  an- 
archy or  civil  war,  when  the  English  nation,  sick  of  the  rule 
of  James  H.,  after  a  reign  of  only  three  years,  and  longing 
for  relief,  looked  abroad  for  help,  and,  with  almost  general 
consent,  fixed  their  eyes  upon  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  as 
the  one  man  capable  of  assisting  them  in  their  time  of  need. 

The  Prince  of  Orange  had  meanwhile  been  diligently  oc- 
cupied, among  other  things,  with  the  reorganization  of  his 
army;  and  the  influx  of  veteran  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
French  king,  banished  from  France  because  of  their  religion, 
furnished  him  with  every  facility  for  this  purjoose.  He  pro- 
posed to  the  States  of  Holland  that  they  should  raise  two 
new  regiments,  to  be  composed  entirely  of  Huguenots;  but 
the  States  were  at  first  unwilling  to  make  such  an  addition 
to  their  army.  They  feared  the  warlike  designs  of  their 
young  prince,  and  were  mainly  intent  on  reducing  the  heavy 
imposts  that  weighed  upon  the  country,  occasioned  by  the 
recent  invasion  of  Louis  XIV.,  from  the  destructive  efiects 
of  which  they  were  still  sufiering. 

William,  fearing  lest  the  veterans  whom  he  so  anxiously 


188  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

desired  to  retain  in  his  service  should  depart  into  other  lands, 
then  publicly  proclaimed  that  he  would  himself  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  all  the  military  refugees  rather  than  that  they 
should  leave  Holland.  On  this  the  States  hesitated  no  lon- 
ger, but  agreed  to  pension  the  French  officers  until  they 
could  be  incorporated  in  the  Dutch  army,  and  180,000  florins 
a  year  were  voted  for  the  purpose.  Companies  of  French 
cadets  were  also  formed  and  maintained  at  the  expense  of 
the  state.  The  Huguenot  officers  and  men  Avere  drafted  as 
rapidly  as  possible  into  the  Dutch  army ;  and  before  long 
William  saw  his  ranks  swelled  by  a  formidable  body  of  vet- 
eran troops,  together  with  a  large  number  of  officers  of  fusil- 
iers from  Strasburg,  Metz,  and  Verdun.  Whole  companies 
of  Huguenot  troops  were  drafted  into  each  regiment  iinder 
their  own  officers,  while  the  principal  fortresses  at  Breda, 
Maestricht,  Bergen -op -Zoom,  Bois-le-Duc,  Zutphen,  Nime- 
guen,  Arnheim,  and  Utrecht  were  used  as  so  many  depots 
for  such  officers  and  soldiers  as  continued  to  take  refuge  in 
Holland. 

William's  plans  were  so  carefully  ju'epared,  and  he  con- 
ducted his  jjroceedings  with  such  impenetrable  mystery,  that 
both  James  H.  and  Louis  XIV.  were  kept  entirely  in  the  dark 
as  to  his  plans  and  intentions.  At  length  the  prince  was 
ready  to  embark  his  army,  and  England  was  ready  to  receive 
him.  It  forms  no  part  of  our  purpose  to  relate  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  embarkation  of  William,  his  land- 
ing in  England,  and  the  revolution  which  followed,  farther 
than  to  illustrate  the  part  which  the  banished  Huguenots 
played  in  that  great  political  transaction.  The  narrative 
will  be  found  brilliantly  narrated  in  the  pages  of  Macaulay, 
though  that  historian  passes  over  with  too  slight  notice  the 
services  of  the  Huguenots. 

Michelet,  the  French  writer,  observes  with  justice:  "The 
army  of  William  was  strong  precisely  in  that  Calvinistic  ele- 
ment which  James  repudiated  in  England  —  I  mean  in  our 
Huoruenot  soldiers,  the  brothers  of  the  Puritans.     I  am  aston- 


EXPEDITION  TO  ENGLAND.  189 

ished  that  Macaulay  has  thought  fit  to  leave  this  circum- 
stance in  the  background.  I  can  not  believe  that  great  En- 
gland, with  all  her  glories  and  her  inheritance  of  liberty,  is 
unwilling  nobly  to  avow  the  part  which  we  Frenchmen  had 
in  her  deliverance.  In  the  Homeric  enumeration  which  the 
historian  gives  of  the  followers  of  William,  he  reckons  up 
English,  Germans,  Dutch,  Swedes,  Swiss,  with  the  picturesque 
detail  of  their  arms,  uniforms,  and  all,  down  even  to  the  two 
hundred  negroes,  with  their  black  faces  set  off  by  embroid- 
ered turbans  and  white  feathers,  who  followed  the  body  of 
English  gentry  led  by  the  Earl  of  Macclesfield.  But  he  did 
not  see  our  Frenchmen.  Apparently  the  proscribed  Hugue- 
not soldiers  who  followed  William  did  not  do  honor  to  the 
prince  by  their  clothes !  Doubtless  many  of  them  wore  the 
Iress  m  which  they  had  fled  from  France — and  it  had  become 
dusty,  worn,  and  tattered."* 

There  is,  mdeed,  little  reason  to  doubt,  notwithstanding 
Macaulay's  oversight,  that  the  flower  of  the  little  army  with 
which  William  landed  at  Torbay,  on  the  15th  of  November, 
1688,  consisted  of  Huguenot  soldiers  trained  under  Schom- 
berg,  Turenne,  and  Conde.  The  expedition  included  three 
entire  regiments  of  French  infantry  numbering  2250  men, 
and  a  complete  squadron  of  French  cavalry.  These  were 
nearly  all  veteran  troops,  ofiicers  and  men,  whose  valor  had 
been  proved  on  many  a  hard-fought  field.  Many  of  them 
were  gentlemen-  born,  who,  unable  to  obtain  commissions  as 
ofiicers,  were  content  to  serve  in  the  ranks.  The  number  of 
French  ofiicers  was  very  large  in  proportion  to  the  whole's 
force —  736,  besides  those  i»  command  of  the  French  regi- 
ments, being  distributed  through  all  the  battalions.  It  is, 
moreover,  worthy  of  note  that  William's  ablest  and  most 
trusted  ofiicers  were  Huguenots.  Schomberg,  the  refugee  f 
Marshal  of  France,  was  next  in  command  to  the  prince  him- 
self: and  such  was  the  confidence  which  that  skillful  general 
inspired,  that  the  Princess  of  Orange  gave  him  secret  instruc- 
*  MiCHELET — Louis  XIV.  et  la  Revocation.,  p.  418-10- 


190  THE  HUGUENOTS  ABROAD. 

tions  to  assert  her  rights,  and  carry  out  the  enterprise  should 
her  husband  fall.*  William's  three  aids-de-camp,  De  I'Etang, 
De  la  Meloniere,  and  the  Marquis  d'Arzilliers,  were  French 
officers,  as  were  also  the  chiefs  of  the  engineers  and  the  artil- 
lery, Gambon  and  Goulon,  the  latter  being  one  of  Vauban's 
most  distinguished  pupils.  Fifty -four  French  gentlemen 
served  in  William's  regiment  of  horse-guards,  and  thirty-four 
in  his  body-guard.  Among  the  officers  of  the  army  of  liber- 
ation, distinguished  alike  by  their  birth  and  their  military 
skill,  were  the  cavalry  officers  Didier  de  Boncourt  and  Cha- 
lant  de  Remeugnac,  colonels ;  Danserville,  lieutenant  colonel ; 
and  Petit  and  Picard,  majors ;  while  others  of  equal  birth  and 
distinction  as  soldiers  served  in  the  infantry. f 

Marshal  Schomberg  was  descended  from  the  old  Dukes  of 
Cleves,  Avhose  arms  he  bore ;  and  several  of  his  ancestors  held 
high  rank  in  the  French  service.  One  of  them  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Ivry  on  the  side  of  Henry  IV.,  and  another  com- 
manded under  Richelieu  at  the  siege  of  Pochelle.  The  mar- 
shal, whose  mother  was  an  Englishwoman  of  the  noble  house 
of  Dudley,  began  his  career  in  the  Swedish  army  in  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  after  which  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Nether- 
lands, and  subsequently  that  of  France.  There  he  led  an  act- 
ive and  distinguished  life,  and  rose  by  successive  steps  to  the 
rank  of  marshal.  The  great  Conde  had  the  highest  opinion 
of  his  military  capacity,  comparing  him  to  Turenne.  He 
commanded  armies  successfully  in  Flanders,  Portugal,  and 
Holland ;  but  on  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict,  being  unable 
to  conform  to  popery,  he  felt  compelled  to  resign  his  military 
honors  and  emoluments,  and  leave  France  forever. 

Schomberg  first  went  into  Portugal,  which  was  assigned  to 

*  Wkiss,  History  of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees,  p.  232. 

t  Weiss  mentions  among  the  captains  of  horSe  Massole  de  Montant,  Petit, 
De  Maiicourt,  De  Boncourt,  De  Fahrice,  De  Lauray,  Baron  d'iMitragiies,  Le 
Coq  de  St.  Leger,  De  Saumaise,  De  Lacroix,  De  Dampierre;  while  among  the 
cajjtains  of  infantry  we  lind  De  J-'aint  Sauveur,  Kapin  (aftenvard  the  histori- 
an), De  Cosne-Ciiavernay,  Danserville,  Massole  de  Montant,  Jacques  de 
Baune,  Baron  d'Avejan,  Nolihois,  Belcastel,  Jaucourt  de  Villarnoue,  Lisle- 
maretz,  De  Montazier,  and  the  three  brothers  De  Batz. — 76i</.,  p.  232. 


THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS.  191 

him  as  his  place  of  exile ;  but  he  shortly  after  left  that  coun- 
try to  take  service,  Avith  numerous  other  French  officers, 
under  Frederick  William  of  Brandenburg.  His  stay  at  Berlin 
was,  however,  of  short  duration ;  for  when  he  heard  of  the  in- 
tentions of  "William  of  Orange  with  respect  to  England,  he  at 
once  determined  to  join  him.  Oflfers  of  the  most  tempting 
kind  were  held  out  by  Frederick  William  to  induce  him  to 
remain  in  Prussia,  The  elector  proposed  to  appoint  him 
governor  general,  minister  of  state,  and  member  of  the  privy 
council;  but  in  vain.  Schomberg  felt  that  the  interests  of 
Protestantism,  of  which  William  of  Orange  was  the  recog- 
nized leader,  required  him  to  forego  his  own  personal  inter- 
ests ;  and,  though  nearly  seventy  years  of  age,  he  quitted  the 
service  of  Prussia  to  enter  that  of  Holland.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  a  large  number  of  veteran  Huguenot  officers,  full 
of  bitter  resentment  against  the  monarch  who  had  driven 
them  forth  from  France,  and  who  burned  to  meet  their  per- 
secutors in  the  field,  and  avenge  themselves  of  the  cruel 
wrongs  which  they  had  suffered  at  their  hands. 

What  the  embittered  feelings  of  the  French  Protestant 
gentry  were,  and  what  was  the  nature  of  the  injuries  they 
had  suffered  because  of  their  religion,  may,  however,  be  best 
explained  by  the  following  narrative  of  the  sufferings  and 
adventures  of  a  Norman  gentleman  who  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing his  escape  from  France,  joined  the  liberating  army  of  Wil- 
liam of  Orange  as  captain  of  dragoons,  took  part  in  the  expe- 
dition to  England,  served  with  the  English  army  in  the  Irish 
campaigns,  and  afterward  settled  at  Portarlington  in  Ireland, 
where  he  died  in  1709. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DUMONT  DE   BOSTAQUET. — HIS    ESCAPE    FROM   FRANCE    INTO 
HOLLAND. 

Isaac  Dumont  de  Bostaquet  was  a  Protestant  gentleman 
possessing  considerable  landed  property  near  Yerville,  in  Nor- 
mandy, about  eight  leagues  from  Dieppe.  He  had  been  well 
educated  in  his  youth,  and  served  with  distmctiou  in  the 
French  army  as  an  officer  of  Norman  horse.  After  leaving 
the  army  he  married  and  settled  on  his  paternal  estates, 
where  he  lived  the  life  of  a  retired  country  gentleman.* 

It  was  about  the  year  1661  that  the  first  mutterings  of  the 
coming  storm  reached  De  Bostaquet  in  his  ancient  chateau 
of  La  Fontelaye.  The  Roman  Catholics,  supported  by  the 
king,  had  begun  to  pull  doAvn  the  Protestant  churches  in 
many  districts,  and  now  it  began  to  be  rumored  abroad  that 
several  in  Normandy  were  to  be  demolished ;  among  others, 
the  church  of  Lindebceuf,  in  which  De  Bostaquet  and  his  fam- 
ily worshiped.  He  at  once  set  out  for  Paris,  to  endeavor,  if 
possible,  to  prevent  this  outrage  being  done.  He  saw  his  old 
commander  Turenne,  and  had  interviews  with  the  king's  mm- 
isters,  but  without  any  satisfactory  result ;  for  on  his  return 
to  Normandy  he  found  the  temple  at  Lindebceuf  had  been 
demolished  during  his  absence. 

When  De  Bostaquet  complained  to  the  local  authorities  of 

*  The  account  given  in  this  chapter  is  mainly  dra^\'n  from  the  Memoires 
In^dits  de  Dumont  de  Bostaquet,  Gentilfiomme  Normand,  edited  by  MM.  Kead 
and  Waddington,  and  published  at  Paris  in  1864.  The  MS.  was  in  the  pos- 
session of  Dr.VignoUes,  Dean  of  Ossory,  a  lineal  descendant  of  De  Bostaquet, 
and  was  lent  by  him  to  Lord  Macaulay  for  perusal  while  the  latter  was  en- 
gaged on  his  History  of  England.  Lord  Macaulay  did  not  make  much  use 
of  tlie  MS.,  ])robably  because  it  was  difficult  to  read  in  tiie  old  French  ;  but 
the  references  made  to  it  in  tlie  foot-notes  of  his  work  induced  the  French 
editors  to  apply  for  a  copy  of  the  MS.  to  tiie  Dean  of  Ossory,  who  courteous- 
ly acceded  to  their  request,  and  hence  its  recent  publication. 


CHA  TEA  U  OF  LA  FONTELA  YE.  193 

the  outrage,  he  Avas  told  that  the  king  was  resolved  to  render 
the  exercise  of  the  Protestant  worship  so  difficult,  that  it 
would  be  necessary  for  all  Protestants  throughout  France  to 
conform  themselves  to  the  king's  religion.  This,  however, 
De  Bostaquet  was  not  prepared  to  do ;  and  a  temporary 
place  of  worship  was  fitted  up  in  the  chateau  at  La  Fonte- 
laye,  where  the  scattered  flock  of  Lindeboeuf  reassembled, 
and  the  seigneur  himself  on  an  emergency  preached,  bap- 
tized, and  performed  the  other  offices  of  religion.  And  thus 
he  led  an  active  and  useful  life  in  the  neighborhood  for  many 
years. 

But  the  persecution  of  the  Protestants  became  increasingly 
hard  to  bear.  More  of  their  churches  were  pulled  down,  and 
their  worship  was  becoming  all  but  proscribed.  De  Bosta- 
quet began  to  meditate  emigration  into  Holland;  but  he  Avas 
bound  to  France  by  many  ties — of  family  as  well  as  proper- 
ty. By  his  first  wife  he  had  a  family  of  six  daughters  and 
one  son.  Shortly  after  her  death  he  married  a  second  time,, 
and  a  second  family  of  six  children  was  added  to  the  first. 
But  his  second  wife  also  died,  leaving  him  with  a  very  large 
family  to  rear  and  educate ;  and,  as  intelligent  female  help 
was  essential  for  this  purpose,  he  was  thus  induced  to  marry 
a  third  time ;  and  a  third  family,  of  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  was  added  to  the  original  number. 

At  last  the  edict  was  revoked,  and  the  dragoons  were  let 
loose  on  the  provinces  to  compel  the  conversion  of  the  Prot-^ 
estants.  A  body  of  cuirassiers  was  sent  into  Normandy, 
which  had  hitherto  been  exempt  from  such  visitations.  On 
the  intelligence  of  their  advance  reaching  De  Bostaquet,  he 
summoned  a  meeting  of  the  neighboring  Protestant  gentry 
at  his  house  at  La  Fontelaye,  to  consider  what  was  best  to 
be  done.  He  then  declared  to  them  his  intention  of  leaving 
France  should  the  king  persist  in  his  tyrannical  course.  Al- 
though all  who  were  present  praised  his  resolution,  none  of- 
fered to  accompany  him — not  even  his  eldest  son,  who  had 
been  married  only  a  few  months  before.    When  the  ladies  of 

N 


194  DUMONT  DE  BOSTAQUET. 

the  household  were  apprised  of  the  resohition  he  had  ex- 
pressed, they  implored  him,  Avith  tears  in  their  eyes,  not  to 
leave  them ;  if  he  did,  they  felt  themselves  to  be  lost.  His 
wife,  on  the  eve  of  another  confinement,  joined  her  entreaties 
to  those  of  his  children,  and  he  felt  that  under  such  circum- 
stances flight  was  impossible. 

The  intelligence  shortly  reached  La  Fontelaye  that  the 
cuirassiers  had  entered  Rouen  sword  in  hand,  under  the  Mar- 
quis de  Beaupre  Choiseul ;  that  the  quartering  of  the  troops 
on  the  inhabitants  was  producing  "  conversions"  by  whole- 
sale ;  and  that  crowds  were  running  to  M.  de  Marillac,  the  in- 
tendant,  to  sign  their  abjuration,  and  thus  get  rid  of  the  sol- 
diers, De  Bostaquet  then  resolved  to  go  over  to  Rouen  him- 
self, and  see  with  his  own  eyes  what  was  gouig  on  there.  He 
was  greatly  shocked  both  by  what  he  saw  and  by  what  he 
heard.  Sorrow  sat  on  all  countenances  except  those  of  the 
dragoons,  who  paraded  the  streets  with  a  truculent  air.  There 
was  a  constant  moving  of  them  from  house  to  house,  whore 
those  quartered  remained,  swearhig,  drinking,  and  hectoring, 
until  the  inmates  had  signed  their  abjuration,  when  they  were 
withdrawn  for  the  purpose  of  being  quartered  elsewhere,  De 
Bostaquet  was  ineffably  pained  to  find  that  these  measures 
were  generally  successful ;  that  all  classes  were  making  haste 
to  conform ;  and  that  even  his  brother-in-law,  M,  de  Lamber- 
ville,  who  had  been  so  stanch  but  a  few  days  before,  had  been 
carried  along  by  the  stream  and  abjured. 

De  Bostaquet  hastened  from  the  place  and  returned  to  La 
Fontelaye  sad  at  heart.  The  intelligence  lie  brought  with 
him  of  the  dragonnades  at  Rouen  occasioned  deep  concern  in 
the  minds  of  his  household ;  but  only  one  feeling  pervaded 
them — resignation  and  steadfastness.  De  Bostaquet  took  rel- 
uge  in  the  hope  that,  belonging  as  he  did  to  the  noblesse,  he 
would  be  spared  the  quartering  of  trooj^s  in  his  family.  But 
he  was  mistaken.  At  Rouen,  the  commandant  quartered 
thirty  horsemen  upon  Sieur  Chauvel,  until  he  and  his  lady,  to 
get  rid  of  them,  signed  their  abjuration;  and  an  intimation 


THE  FORCED  "  CON \ EliSIOXS."  195 

was  shortly  after  made  to  De  Bostaquet,  that  unless  he  and 
his  family  abjured,  a  detachment  of  twenty-five  dragoons 
would  be  quartered  in  his  chateau.  Fearing  the  efiects  on 
his  wife  in  her  then  delicate  state  of  health,  as  well  as  desir- 
ing to  save  his  children  from  the  horrors  of  such  a  visitation, 
he  at  once  proceeded  to  Dieppe  with  his  eldest  son,  and  prom- 
ised to  sign  his  abjuration,  after  placing  himself  for  a  time 
under  the  instruction  of  the  reverend  penitentiary  of  Notre 
Dame  de  Rouen. 

No  sooner  had  he  put  his  name  to  tlie  paper  than  he  felt 
degraded  in  his  own  eyes.  He  felt  that  he  had  attached  his 
signature  to  a  falsehood,  for  lie  had  no  intention  of  attending 
mass  or  abjuring  his  religion.  But  his  neighbors  Avere  now 
abjuring  all  round.  His  intimate  friend,  the  Sieur  De  Boisse, 
had  a  company  of  musketeers  quartered  on  him  until  he 
signed.  Another  neighbor,  the  Sieur  de  Montigny,  was  in 
like  manner  compelled  to  abjure  —  his  mother  and  four 
daughters,  to  avoid  the  written  lie,  having  previously  es- 
caped into  Holland.  None  were  alloAved  to  go  free.  Old 
M.  de  Grosmenil,  De  Bostaquet's  father-in-law,  though  laid 
up  by  gout  and  scarce  able  to  hold  a  pen,  was  compelled  to 
sign.  In  anticipation  of  the  quartering  of  the  dragoons  on 
the  family,  his  wife  had  gone  into  concealment,  the  children 
had  left  the  house,  and  even  the  domestics  could  with  difficul- 
ty be  induced  to  remain.  The  eldest  daughter  fled  through 
Picardy  into  Holland ;  the  younger  daughters  took  refuge 
with  their  relatives  in  Rouen ;  the  son  also  fled,  none  knew 
whither.  Madame  de  Grosmenil  issued  from  her  conceal- 
ment to  take  her  place  by  her  suflering  husband's  bed,  and 
she  too  was  compelled  to  sign  her  abjuration ;  but  she  was 
so  shocked  and  grieved  by  the  sin  she  felt  she  had  commit- 
ted that  she  shortly  after  fell  ill  and  died.  "  All  our  fami- 
lies," says  De  Bostaquet,  "  succumbed  by  turns."  A  body  of 
troops  next  made  their  appearance  at  La  Fontelaye,  and  re- 
quired all  the  members  of  the  household  to  sign  their  abju- 
ration.    De  Bostaquet's  wife,  his  mother — whose  gray  hairs 


196  DUMONT  BE  BOSTAQUET. 

did  not  protect  her — his  sons,  daughters,  and  domestics,  were 
all  required  to  sign. 

"The  sad  state  to  which  my  soul  was  reduced,"  continues  De  Bostaquet, 
"and  the  general  desolation  of  the  Church,  occasioned  me  the  profoundest 

grief. All  feeling  equally  criminal,  we  no  longer  enjoyed  that  tran- 

(luillity  of  mind  which  before  had  made  us  happy.  God  seemed  to  have  hid 
himself  from  us ;  and  though  by  our  worship,  which  we  continued  publicly  to 
celebrate,  we  might  give  evidence  of  the  purity  of  our  sentiments  and  the  sin- 
cerity of  our  repentance,  my  crime  never  ceased  to  weigh  upon  my  mind,  and 
I  bitterly  reproached  myself  for  ha\-ing  set  so  bad  an  example  before  my  ilim- 

ily  as  well  as  my  neighbors But  I  could  not  entertain  without  grief 

the  thought  of  my  children  being  exposed  to  the  danger  of  fidling  a  prey  to 
these  demons,  who  might  any  moment  have  carried  them  away  from  me.  I 
was  constantly  meditating  flight ;  but  the  flesh  fought  against  the  spirit,  and 
the  fear  of  abandoning  this  large  family,  together  with  the  difficulty  I  saw  be- 
fore me  of  ])roviding  a  subsistence  for  them  in  a  foreign  laud,  held  me  back ; 
though  I  still  watched  for  a  favorable  o])portunity  for  escaping  from  France, 
by  ^^•hich  time  I  hoped  to  be  enabled  to  provide  myself  with  money  by  the  sale 
of  my  property.  "* 

The  whole  family  now  began  seriously  to  meditate  flight 
from  France — De  Bostaquet's  mother,  notwithstanding  her 
burden  of  eighty  years,  being  one  of  the  most  eager  to  es- 
cape. Attempts  were  first  made  to  send  away  the  girls  sin- 
gly, and  several  journeys  were  made  to  the  nearest  port  with 
that  object ;  but  no  ship  was  to  be  met  with,  and  the  sea- 
coast  was  found  strictly  guarded.  De  Bostaquet's  design 
having  become  known  to  the  commandant  at  Dieppe,  he  was 
privately  warned  of  the  risk  he  ran  of  being  informed  against, 
and  of  having  his  property  confiscated  and  himself  sent  to  the 
galleys.  But  the  ladies  of  the  family  became  every  day  more 
urgent  to  fly,  declaring  that  their  consciences  Avould  not  al- 
low them  any  longer  hypocritically  to  conform  to  a  church 
which  they  detested,  and  that  they  Avere  resolved  to  escape 
from  their  present  degradation  at  all  risks. 

At  length  it  was  arranged  that  an  opportunity  should  be 
taken  of  escaping  during  the  fetes  of  Pentecost,  when  there 
was  to  be  a  grand  review  of  the  peasantry  appohited  to  guard 
*  De  Bostaquet — ^fcmoircs  Iiicdits,  p.  111. 


A  TTEMPTED  FLIGHT.  197 

the  coast,  during  which  they  would  necessarily  be  withdrawn 
from  their  posts  as  watchers  of  the  Huguenot  fugitives.  The 
family  plans  were  thus  somewhat  j^recipitated,  before  De 
Bostaquet  had  been  enabled  to  convert  his  property  into 
money,  and  thereby  provide  himself  with  the  means  of  con- 
ducting the  emigration  of  so  large  a  fomily.  It  was  first  in- 
tended that  the  young  ladies  should  endeavor  to  make  their 
escape,  their  father  accompanying  them  to  the  coast  to  see 
them  safe  on  board  ship,  and  then  returning  to  watch  over 
his  wife,  who  Avas  approaching  the  time  of  her  confinement. 

On  the  morning  of  Pentecost  Sunday,  the  whole  family  as- 
sembled at  Avorship,  and  besought  the  blessing  of  God  on 
their  projected  enterprise.  After  dinner  the  party  set  out. 
It  consisted  of  De  Bostaquet,  his  aged  mother,  several  grown 
daughters,  and  many  children.  The  lather  had  intended 
that  the  younger  son  should  stay  behind,  but  with  tears  in 
his  eyes  he  implored  leave  to  accompany  them.  The  caval- 
cade first  proceeded  to  the  village  of  La  Haliere,  where  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  for  their  spending  the  night,  while 
De  Bostaquet  proceeded  to  Saint  Aubin  to  engage  an  English 
vessel  lying  there  to  take  them  off  the  coast. 

The  following  night,  about  ten  o'clock,  the  party  set  out 
from  Luneray,  accompanied  by  many  friends  and  a  large 
number  of  fugitives,  like  themselves  making  for  the  sea- 
coast.  De  Bostaquet  rode  first,  with  his  sister  behind  him 
on  a  pillion.  His  son-in-law  De  Renfreville,  and  his  wife, 
rode  another  horse  in  like  manner,  De  Bostaquet's  mother, 
the  old  lady  of  eighty,  was  mounted  on  a  quiet  pony,  and  at- 
tended by  two  peasants.  His  son  and  daughter  were  also 
mounted,  the  latter  on  a  peasant's  horse  which  carried  the 
valises.  De  Renfreville's  valet  rode  another  nag,  and  was 
armed  with  a  musketoon.  Thus  mounted,  after  many  adieus 
the  party  set  out  for  Saint  Aubin.  On  their  way  thither 
they  were  joined  by  other  relatives — M.  de  Montcornet,  an 
old  oflScer  in  the  French  army,  and  De  Bostaquet's  brother- 
in-law,  M.  de  Bequigny,  who  was  accompanied  by  a  German 
valet  with  another  young  lady  behind  him  on  a  pillion. 


198  LUMONT DE  BOSTAQUET. 

' '  We  found  before  us  in  the  plain, "  says  De  Bostaquet,  ' '  more  than  three 
hundred  persons — men,  ■women,  and  childi-en — all  making  for  the  sea-coast, 
some  for  Saint  Aubin,  and  others  for  Quiberville.  Nearly  the  whole  of  these 
people  were  peasants,  there  being  veiy  few  of  the  better  class  among  them ; 
and  none  bore  arms  but  om-selves  and  the  two  valets  of  De  Be'quigny  and  De 
Renfreville,  who  carried  musketoons.  The  facility  with  which  fugitives  had 
heretofore  been  enabled  to  escape,  and  the  belief  that  there  was  no  danger 
connected  with  our  undertaking,  made  us  travel  without  much  precaution. 
The  night  was  channing,  and  the  moon  shone  out  brightly.  The  delicious 
coolness  which  succeeded  the  heat  of  the  preceding  day  enabled  the  poor 
peasants  on  foot  to  march  forward  with  a  lighter  step  ;  and  the  prospect  of  a 
speedy  deliverance  from  their  captivity  made  them  almost  run  toward  the 
shore  with  as  much  joy  as  if  they  had  been  bound  for  a  wedding-party. 

"  We  passed  by  the  end  of  the  -v-illage  of  A-\Temenil,  where  a  great  number 
of  the  inhabitants  had  assembled  to  sec  us  pass.  They  wished  us  bon  voyage, 
and  all  things  seemed  favorable  for  our  design.  On  the  way,  M.  de  Ee'quig- 
ny,  who  had  remained  behind,  sjiurred  on  to  the  head  of  the  troop  where  I 
was  to  inform  me  that  IVIadame  de  Roncheraye,  my  sister-in-law,  had  come 
to  join  us  in  her  carriage,  with  her  three  children  and  my  daughter,  from  Ri- 
boeuf,  together  with  a  young  lady  from  Rouen,  named  Duval,  and  that  they 
begged  me  to  wait  for  them.  I  accordingly  checked  the  cavalcade,  and  we 
went  forward  more  slowly. 

"  Those  who  intended  to  embark  at  Quibenille  now  left  us,  while  those 
who  were  boimd  for  Saint  Aul)in  proceeded  in  that  direction.  As  yet  we  had 
encountered  no  obstacle.  We  passed  through  Flain\ille  without  any  one 
speaking  to  us ;  and,  flattering  ourselves  that  everj'  thing  was  propitious,  we 
at  length  reached  the  shore.  We  found  the  coast-guard  station  empty ;  no 
one  appeared  ;  and  without  fear  we  alighted  to  rest  our  horses.  We  seated 
the  ladies  on  the  shingle  by  the  side  of  my  mother,  a  tall  girl  from  Caen  keep- 
ing them  company. 

''I  was  disappointed  at  seeing  no  signs  of  the  vessel  in  which  "\ve  were  to 
embark.  I  did  not  know  that  they  were  waiting  for  some  signal  to  approach 
the  land.  While  I  was  in  this  state  of  anxiety,  my  son  came  to  inform  me 
that  his  aunt  had  arrived.  Her  carriage  had  not  been  able  to  reach  the 
shore,  and  she  waited  for  me  about  a  gun-shot  off.  I  went  on  foot,  accom- 
]ianied  by  my  son,  to  find  her.  She  and  her  children  were  bathed  in  tears  at 
t!ic  thought  of  their  separation.  She  embraced  me  tenderly,  and  the  sight 
of  lierself  and  little  ones  afflicted  me  exceedingly.  My  daughter  from  Ri- 
bceuf  alighted  from  the  carriage  to  salute  me,  as  well  as  Mademoiselle  Duval. 

"  I  had  been  with  them  for  a  veiy  little  while,  when  I  perceived  there  was 
a  general  movement  down  by  the  margin  of  the  sea,  where  I  had  left  my 
party.     I  asked  what  it  was,  and  fearing  lest  the  vessel  might  appear  too  far 


ATTACKED  BY  THE  COAST-GUARD.  ItiO 

off,  I  proposed  to  have  the  carriage  brought  nearer  to  the  shore ;  but  I  was 
not  left  long  in  iincertainty.  A  peasant  called  out  to  me  that  there  was  a 
great  disturbance  going  fonvard ;  and  soon  after  I  heard  the  sound  of  drums 
beating,  followed  by  a  discliarge  of  musketrj-.  It  immediately  occurred  to 
me  that  it  must  be  the  coast-guard  returned  to  occupy  their  post,  who  had 
fallen  on  om-  party,  and  I  began  to  fear  that  we  were  irretrievably  lost.  I 
was  on  foot  alone,  with  my  httle  son,  near  the  carriage.  I  did  not  then  see 
two  horsemen  coming  down  upon  us  at  full  speed,  but  I  heard  voices  crying 
with  all  their  might,  '  Help !  help !'  I  found  myself  in  a  strange  state  of  em- 
barrassment, without  means  of  defense,  when  my  lackey,  who  was  holding  my 
horses  on  the  beach,  ran  toward  me  with  my  arms. 

' '  I  had  only  time  to  thi'ow  myself  on  my  horse  and  call  out  to  my  sister- 
in-law  in  the  carriage  to  turn  back  quickly,  when  I  hastened,  pistol  in  hand, 
to  the  place  whence  the  screams  jjroceeded.  c-'carce  was  I  clear  of  the  car- 
riage when  a  horseman  shouted  'Kill!  kill!'  I  answered,  'Fire,  rascal!' 
At  the  same  moment  he  fired  his  pistol  full  at  me,  so  near  that  the  discharge 
flashed  along  my  left  cheek  and  set  fire  to  my  peruke,  but  without  wounding 
rae.  I  was  still  so  near  the  carriage  that  both  the  coachman  and  lackey  saw 
my  hair  in  a  blaze.  I  took  aim  with  my  pistol  at  the  stomach  of  the  scoun- 
drel, but,  happily  for  him,  it  missed  fire,  although  I  had  primed  it  afresh  on 
leaving  Luneraj'.  The  horseman  at  once  tunied  tail,  accompanied  by  his 
comrade.  I  then  took  my  other  pistol,  and  folIo^^■ed  them  at  the  trot,  when 
the  one  called  out  to  the  other,  'Fire!  fire!'  One  of  them  had  a  musket, 
with  which  he  took  aim  at  me,  and  as  it  was  nearly  as  light  as  day,  and  I  was 
only  two  or  three  horse-lengths  from  him,  he  fired  and  hit  me  in  the  left  arm, 
^^ith  which  I  was  holding  my  bridle.  I  moved  my  arm  quickly  to  ascertain 
whether  it  was  broken,  and  putting  spurs  to  my  horse,  gained  the  crupper  of 
the  man  who  had  first  fired  at  me,  who  was  now  on  my  left,  and  as  he  bent 
o\er  his  horse's  neck  I  discharged  my  pistol  full  into  his  haunch.  The  two 
horsemen  at  once  disappeared  and  fled. 

*"I  now  heard  the  voice  of  De  Ee'quigny,  who,  embarrassed  by  his  assail- 
ants on  foot,  was  furiously  defending  himself;  and,  without  losing  time  in 
()ursuing  the  fugitives,  I  ran  up  to  him  sword  in  hand,  encountering  on  the 
»vay  my  son-in-law,  who  was  coming  toward  me.  I  asked  him  whither  he 
was  going,  and  he  said  he  was  nmning  in  search  of  the  liorses,  which  his  val- 
et had  taken  away.  I  told  him  it  was  in  vain,  and  that  he  was  flying  as  fast 
as  legs  could  carry  him,  for  I  had  caught  sight  of  him  passing  as  I  mounted 
my  horse.  But  I  had  no  time  to  reason  with  him.  In  a  moment  I  had  join- 
ed De  Be'quigny,  who  had  with  him  only  old  Montcomet,  my  wife's  uncle ; 
but,  before  a  few  minutes  had  passed,  we  had  scattered  the  canaille,  and 
found  ourselves  masters  of  the  field.  T)q  Be'quigny  informed  me  that  his 
horse  was  wounded,  and  that  he  could  do  no  more  ;  and  I  told  him  that  I  was 


200  B UMONT  D  U  BOSTA  Q UET. 

wounded  in  the  arm,  and  that  it  was  necessary,  without  loss  of  time,  to  ascer- 
tain what  had  become  of  the  poor  women. 

"We  found  them  almost  in  the  same  place  that  we  had  left  them,  but 
abandoned  by  every  body ;  the  attendants  and  the  rest  of  the  troop  having 
run  away  along  the  coast,  under  the  cUffs.  My  mother,  who  was  extremely 
deaf  through  age,  had  not  heard  the  shots,  and  did  not  know  what  to  make 
of  the  disturbance,  thinking  only  of  the  vessel,  which  had  not  yet  made  its 
appearance.  My  sister,  greatly  alarmed,  on  my  reproaching  her  with  not 
having  quietly  followed  the  others,  answered  that  my  mother  was  unable  to 
walk,  being  too  much  burdened  by  her  dress  ;  for,  fearing  the  coldness  of  the 
night,  she  had  clothed  herself  heavily.  M.  de  Be'quigny  then  suggested  that 
it  might  yet  be  possible  to  rally  some  of  the  men  of  our  troop,  and  thereby 
rescue  the  ladies  from  their  peril.  Without  loss  of  time  I  ran  along  the 
beach  for  some  distance,  supposing  that  some  of  the  men  might  have  hidden 
under  the  cliffs  through  fear ;  but  my  labors  were  useless — I  saw  only  some 
girls,  who  fled  away  weeping.  Considering  that  my  presence  woidd  be  more 
useful  to  our  poor  women,  I  rejoined  them  at  the  galloix  il.  de  Be'quig:iy, 
on  his  part,  had  returned  from  the  direction  of  the  coast-guard  station,  to  as- 
certain whether  there  were  any  persons  lurking  there,  for  we  entertained  no 
doubt  that  it  was  the  coast-guard  that  had  attacked  us ;  and  the  two  horse- 
men vnih.  whom  I  had  the  affair  confirmed  me  in  this  impression,  for  I  knew 
that  such  men  were  appointed  to  patrol  the  coasts,  and  visit  the  posts,  all 
the  night  through.  On  coming  up  to  me,  Be'quigny  said  he  feared  we  were 
lost ;  that  the  rascals  had  rallied  to  the  number  of  about  forty,  and  were  pre- 
paring for  another  attack. 

"We  had  no  balls  remaining  with  which  to  reload  om-  pistols.  Loss  of 
blood  already  made  me  feel  very  faint.  De  Bequigny's  horse  had  been 
wounded  in  the  shoulder  by  a  musket-shot,  and  had  now  only  three  legs  to 
go  on.  In  this  extremity,  and  not  knowing  what  to  do  to  save  the  women 
and  children,  I  begged  him  to  set  my  mother  on  horseback.  He  tried,  but 
she  was  too  heavy,  and  he  set  her  down  again.  M.  de  Montcornet  was  the 
only  other  man  we  had  with  us,  but  he  \\as  useless.  He  was  se^■enty-two, 
and  the  little  nag  he  rode  could  not  be  of  much  service.  De  Ec'quigny's 
valet  had  run  away,  after  having  in  the  skirmish  fired  his  musketoon  and 
wounded  a  coast-guardsman  in  the  shoulder,  of  which  the  man  died.  The 
tide,  which  began  to  rise,  deterred  me  from  leading  the  women  and  children 
under  the  cliffs  ;  besides,  I  was  uncertain  of  the  route  in  that  direction.  My 
mother  and  sister  conjured  me  to  fly  instantly,  because,  if  I  was  cajitured,  my 
ruin  was  certain,  while  the  worst  that  could  hapjien  to  them  would  be  con- 
finement in  a  convent. 

' '  In  this  dire  extremity  my  heart  was  torn  by  a  thousand  conflicting  emo- 
tions, and  overwhelmed  with  despair  at  being  unable  to  rescue  those  so  dear 


ALARMING  POSITION.  LOl 

to  me  from  the  perils  which  beset  them.  I  knew  not  what  coiu'se  to  take. 
While  in  this  state  of  irresoUition,  I  found  myself  becoming  faint  through  loss 
of  blood.  Taking  out  my  handkerchief,  I  asked  my  sister  to  tie  it  round  my 
arm,  which  was  still  bleeding ;  but  wanting  the  nerve  to  do  so,  as  well  as  not 
being  suiEciently  tall  to  reach  me  on  horseback,  I  addressed  myself  to  the 
young  lady  from  Caen,  who  was  with  them,  and  whom  they  called  La  Rosie're. 
i^he  was  taU,  and  by  the  light  of  the  moon  she  looked  a  handsome  girl.  She 
bad  great  reluctance  to  approach  me  in  the  state  in  which  I  was  ;  but  at  last, 
after  entreating  her  earnestly,  she  did  me  the  senice  which  I  required,  and 
the  farther  flow  of  blood  was  stopped. 

' '  After  resisting  for  some  time  the  entreaties  of  my  mother  and  sister  to 
leave  them  and  fly  for  my  life — seeing  that  my  staying  longer  with  them  was 
useless,  and  that  De  Montcornet  and  De  Be'quigny  also  urged  me  to  fly — I 
felt  that  at  length  I  must  yield  to  my  fate,  and  leave  them  in  the  hands  of 
Pro\idence.  My  sister,  who  feared  being  robbed  by  the  coast-guard  on  their 
return,  gave  me  her  twenty  louis  d'ors  to  keep,  and  prajdng  heaven  to  pre- 
serve me,  they  forced  me  to  leave  them  and  take  to  flight,  which  I  did  with 
the  greatest  giief  that  I  had  ever  experienced  in  the  whole  course  of  my  life.  "* 

De  Bostaquet  and  his  friend  De  Bequigny  first  fled  along 
the  shore,  but  the  shingle  greatly  hindered  them.  On  their 
way  they  fell  in  first  with  De  Bequigny's  valet,  who  had 
fled  with  the  horses,  and  shortly  after  with  Judith-Julie,  Du- 
mont's  little  daughter,  accompanied  by  a  peasant  and  his 
wife.  She  was  lifted  up  and  placed  in  front  of  the  valet, 
and  they  rode  on.  Leaving  the  sea-shore  by  a  road  which 
led  from  the  beach  inland,  Dumont  preceded  them,  his  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand.  They  had  not  gone  far  when  they  were 
met  by  six  horsemeUj  who  halted  and  seemed  uncertain 
whether  to  attack  or  not ;  but,  observing  Dumont  in  an  at- 
titude of  defense,  they  retired,  and  the  fugitives  fled  as  fast 
as  De  Bequigny's  wounded  horse  would  allow  them  to  Lu- 
neray,  to  the  house  from  Avhich  they  had  set  out  the  previ- 
ous night.  There  he  left  his  little  daughter,  and  again  De 
Bequigny  and  he  rode  out  into  the  night.  As  day  broke 
they  reached  Saint  Laurent.  They  went  direct  to  the  house 
of  a  Huguenot  surgeon,  who  removed  Dumont's  bloody  shirt, 
probed  the  wound  to  his  extreme  agony,  but  could  not  find 
*  Me'iiioires  Ine'dits,  p.  121-5. 


202  DUMOyr  DE  BOSTAQUET. 

the  ball,  the  surgeon  concludmg  that  it  was  firmly  lodged 
between  the  two  bones  of  the  fore-arm.  The  place  Avas  too 
unsafe  for  Dumont  to  remain,  and,  though  sufiering  much 
and  greatly  needing  rest,  he  set  out  again,  and  made  for  his 
family  mansion  at  La  Fontelaye.  But  he  did  not  dare  to 
enter  the  house.  Alighting  at  the  door  of  one  of  his  tenants 
named  Malherbe,  devoted  to  his  interest,  he  dispatched  him 
with  a  message  to  Madame  de  Bostaquet,  who  at  once  hast- 
ened to  her  husband's  side.  Her  agony  of  grief  ma}^  be  im- 
agined on  seeing  him,  pale  and  suifering,  his  clothes  covered 
with  blood,  and  his  bandaged  arm  in  a  sling.  Giving  her 
hasty  instructions  as  to  what  she  was  to  do  in  his  absence, 
among  other  things  with  respect  to  the  sale  of  his  property 
and  every  thing  that  could  be  converted  into  money,  and 
after  much  weeping,  and  taking  many  tender  embraces  of 
his  wife  and  daughters,  committing  them  to  the  care  of  God, 
he  mounted  again,  and  fled  northward  for  liberty  and  life. 

De  Bostaquet  proceeds  in  his  narrative  to  give  a  very 
graphic  account  of  his  flight  across  Normandy,  Picardy,  Ar- 
tois,  and  Flanders,  into  Holland,  in  the  course  of  which  he 
traversed  woods,  swam  rivers,  and  had  many  hairbreadth  es- 
capes. Knowing  the  country  thoroughly,  and  having  many 
friends  and  relatives  in  Normandy  and  Picardy,  Roman  Cath- 
olics as  well  as  Protestants,  he  often  contrived  to  obtain  a 
night's  shelter,  a  change  of  linen,  and  sometimes  a  change  of 
horses  for  himself  and  his  friend,  Saint-Foy,  who  accompanied 
him.  They  lodged  the  first  night  at  Varvanncs  with  a  kins- 
man on  whom  he  could  rely,  for  M.de  Verdun,  says  De  Bosta- 
quet, "  was  a  good  man,  though  a  ])apist  and  even  a  bigot."  A 
surgeon  was  sent  for  to  dress  the  fugitive's  arm,  Avhich  had  be- 
come increasingly  painful.  The  surgeon  probed  the  wound, 
but  still  no  ball  could  be  found.  Mounting  again,  the  two 
rode  all  day,  and  by  nightfall  reached  Grosmesnil.  Sending 
for  a  skilled  army  surgeon,  the  wound  was  probed  again,  but 
with  no  better  result.  Here  the  rumor  of  the  affair  at  Saint 
Aubin,  greatly  magnified,  reached  De  Bostaquet ;  and,  find- 


FLIGHT  TOWARD  HOLLAND.  203 

ing  that  his  only  safety  lay  in  flight,  he  started  again  with 
his  friend,  and  took  the  route  for  Holland  through  Picardy. 
Tliey  rode  onward  to  Belozane,  then  to  Neufchatel,  where  he 
took  leave  of  Saint-Foy. 

The  fugitive  reached  Foucarmont  alone  by  moonlight  in 
great  pain,  his  arm  being  exceedingly  swollen  and  much 
inflamed.  He  at  once  sent  for  a  surgeon,  who  dressed  the 
wound,  but  feared  gangrene.  Next  morning  the  inflamma- 
tion had  subsided,  and  he  set  out  again,  reaching  the  out- 
skirts of  Abbeville,  which  he  passed  on  the  left,  and,  arriving 
at  Pont-de-Remy,  he  there  crossed  the  Somme.  He  was  now 
in  Picardy.  Pressing  onward,  he  arrived  at  Prouville,  where 
he  was  kindly  entertained  for  the  night  by  a  Protestant 
friend,  M.  de  Monthuc.  The  pain  and  inflammation  in  his 
arm  still  increasing,  the  family  surgeon  was  sent  for.  The 
wound,  when  exposed,  was  found  black,  SAvollen,  and  angry- 
looking.  The  surgeon  sounded  again,  found  no  ball,  and  con- 
cluded by  recommending  perfect  rest  and  Ioav  diet.  The 
patient  remained  with  his  friend  for  two  days,  during  which 
M,  Montcornet  arrived,  for  the  purpose  of  accomj^anying  him 
in  his  flight  into  Holland.  Next  day,  to  De  Bostaquet's 
great  surprise,  the  ball,  for  which  the  surgeons  had  so  often 
been  searching  in  vain,  was  found  in  the  finger  of  one  of  his 
gloves,  into  which  it  had  fallen.  He  was  now  comparatively 
relieved ;  and,  unwilling  to  trespass  longer  upon  the  kindness 
of  his  friends,  after  a  few  more  days'  rest  he  again  took  the 
road  with  his  aged  relative.  They  traveled  by  Le  Quesnel 
and  Doullens,  then  along  the  grand  high  road  of  Hesdin,  and 
through  the  woods  of  the  Abbey  of  Sercan ;  next  striking 
the  Arras  road  (where  they  were  threatened  with  an  attack 
by  footpads),  they  arrived  at  La  Guorgues,  and,  crossing 
the  frontier,  they  at  last,  after  many  adventures  and  perils, 
arrived  in  safety  at  Courtrai,  where  they  began  to  breathe 
freely.  But  Dumont  did  not  feel  himself  safe  until  he  had 
reached  Ghent,  for  Courtrai  was  still  under  the  dominion  of 
Spain ;  so  again  pushing  on,  the  fugitives  halted  not  until 


204  DUMONT  DE  BOSTAHUET. 

they  arrived  at  Ghent  late  at  night,  where  tlie  two  wayworn 
travelers  at  length  slept  soundly.  Next  day,  Montcornet, 
who,  though  seventy-two  years  old,  had  stood  the  fatigues 
of  the  journey  surprisingly  well,  proceeded  to  join  his  son, 
then  lying  with  many  other  refugee  officers  in  garrison  at 
Maestricht,  while  De  Bostaquet  went  forward  into  Holland 
to  join  the  fugitives  Avho  were  now  flocking  thither  ui  great 
numbers  from  all  parts  of  France. 

Such  is  a  rapid  outline  of  Jthe  escape  of  Dumont  de  Bosta- 
quet into  the  great  Protestant  asylum  of  the  North.  His 
joy,  however,  was  mingled  with  grief,  for  he  had  left  his  wife 
and  family  behind  him  in  France  under  the  heel  of  the  perse- 
cutor. After  many  painful  rumors  of  the  severe  punishments 
to  which  his  children  had  been  subjected,  he  was  at  length 
joined  by  his  wife,  his  son,  and  one  of  his  daughters,  who  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping  by  sea.  The  ladies,  taken  prisoners  by 
the  coast-guard  at  Saint  Aubin,  besides  being  heavily  fined, 
were  condemned  to  be  confined  in  convents,  some  for  several 
years  each,  and  others  for  life ;  the  gentlemen  and  men-serv- 
ants who  accompanied  them  Avere  condemned  to  the  galleys 
for  life,  and  their  property  and  goods  Avere  declared  forfeited 
to  the  king.  This  completed  the  ruin  of  Dumont  de  Bosta- 
quet so  far  as  worldly  wealth  was  concerned ;  for  by  the  law 
of  Louis  XIV.,  the  property  not  only  of  all  fugitives,  but  of 
all  Avho  abetted  fugitives  in  their  attempt  to  escape,  Avas 
declared  confiscated,  Avhile  they  Avcre  themselves  liable,  if 
caught,  to  sufter  the  penalty  of  death. 

Dumont  de  Bostaquet  noAv  had  no  home  save  under  the 
flag  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  ;  and  Avhen  such  sufterings  as 
those  which  Ave  have  so  briefly  and  imperfectly  described  arc 
taken  into  account,  Ave  need  not  Avonder  at  the  ardor  Avitli 
which  the  banished  French  soldiers  and  gentry  took  service 
under  the  prince  Avho  so  generously  gave  them  protection, 
and  the  fury  with  Avhich  they  fought  against  the  despot  Avho 
had  ruined  them,  driven  them  forth  from  France,  and  contin- 
ued to  persecute  themselves  and  their  families  even  to  the 
death. 


CHAPTER  XL 

DE    BOSTAQUET   IN    ENGLAND. — THE    IRISH   CAMPAIGNS   OP 

1689-90. 

DuMONT  DE  BosTAQUET  was  hospitably  received  by  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  and,  on  his  application  for  employment, 
was  appointed  to  the  same  rank  in  the  Dutch  army  that  he 
had  before  held  in  that  of  Louis  XIV.  When  the  expedition 
to  England  Avas  decided  upon,  such  of  the  refugee  officers  as 
were  disposed  to  join  William  were  invited  to  send  in  their 
names,  and  De  Bostaquet  at  once  volunteered,  with  numbers 
more.  Fifty  of  the  French  officers  were  selected  for  the  pur- 
jjose  of  being  incorporated  in  his  two  dragoon  regiments,  red 
and  blue,  and  De  Bostaquet  was  appointed  to  a  captaincy  in 
the  former  regiment,  of  which  De  Louvigny  was  colonel. 

The  fleet  of  William  had  already  been  assembled  at  Maas- 
luis,  and  with  the  troops  on  board  shortly  spread  its  sails  for 
England.  But  the  expedition,  consisting  of  about  five  hund- 
red sail,  had  scarcely  left  the  Dutch  shores  before  it  was  dis- 
persed by  a  storm,  which  raged  for  three  days.  One  ship, 
containing  two  companies  of  French  infantry,  commanded  by 
Captains  de  Chauvernay  and  Rapin-Thoyras  (afterward  the 
liistorian),  was  driven  toward  the  coast  of  Norway.  Those 
on  board  gave  themselves  up  for  lost ;  but  the  storm  abat- 
ing, the  course  of  the  vessel  was  altered,  and  she  afterward 
reached  the  Maas  in  safety.  Very  faAv  ships  were  missing 
when  the  expedition  reassembled;  but  among  the  lost  was 
one  containing  four  companies  of  a  Holstein  regiment  and 
some  sixty  French  officers  and  volunteers.  When  De  Bosta- 
.  quet's  ship  arrived  in  the  Maas,  it  was  found  that  many  of 
the  troop  horses  had  been  killed,  or  were  so  maimed  as  to  be 


20G  JjE  BOSTAQUET  IN  ENGLAND. 

rendered  unfit  for  service.  After  a  few  days'  indefatigable 
labor,  however,  all  damages  were  made  good,  the  fleet  was 
refitted  anew,  and  again  put  to  sea,  this  time  with  better 
pros^DCCt  of  success. 

"  Next  day,"  says  Ee  Bostaquet,  in  his  Memoirs,  "we  saw  the  coasts  of 
France  and  Enghmd  stretching  before  us  on  either  side.  I  confess  that  I 
did  not  look  upon  my  ungrateful  country  without  deep  emotion,  as  I  thought 
of  the  many  ties  of  affection  which  still  bound  me  to  it — of  my  children,  and 
the  dear  relatives  I  had  left  behind ;  but  as  our  fleet  might  even  now  be  work- 
ing out  their  deliverance,  and  as  England  was  drawing  nearer,  I  felt  that  one 
must  cast  such  thoughts  aside,  and  trust  that  God  would  yet  put  it  into  the 
heart  of  our  hero  to  help  our  poor  country  imder  the  oppressions  beneath 
which  she  was  groaning.  The  fleet  was  beheld  by  the  people  on  the  opposite 
shores  with  very  different  emotions.  France  trembled  at  the  sight ;  while 
England,  seeing  her  deliverer  approaching,  leaped  with  joy.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  prince  took  pleasure  in  alarming  France,  whose  coasts  he  long  kept  in 
sight.  But  at  length,  leaving  France  behind  us,  we  made  for  the  opjiosite 
shore,  and  all  day  long  we  held  along  the  P^nglish  coast,  sailing  toward  the 
west.  Night  hid  the  land  from  forther  view,  and  next  morning  not  a  trace 
of  it  was  to  be  seen.  As  the  wind  held  good,  we  thought  that  by  this  time 
we  must  have  passed  out  of  the  English  Channel,  though  we  knew  not 
whither  we  were  bound.  Many  of  our  soldiers  from  Poitou  hoped  that  we 
might  effect  a  landing  there.  But  at  three  in  the  afternoon  we  again  caught 
sight  of  the  English  land  on  our  right,  and  found  that  we  Avere  still  holding 
the  same  course.  M.  de  Bethencour,  who  knew  the  coast,  assured  us  tliat 
we  were  bound  for  Flvmouth  ;  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  such  was  the  prince's 
design.  But  the  wind  having  shifted,  we  were  astonished  to  see  our  vanguard 
put  about,  and  sail  as  if  right  down  upon  us.  Nothing  could  be  more  beau- 
tiful than  the  evolution  of  the  immense  flotilla  which  now  took  place  under  a 
glorious  sky.  The  main  body  of  the  fleet  and  the  rear-guard  lay  to,  in  oider 
to  allow  the  prince's  di\ision  to  pass  through  them,  on  which  every  ship  in  its 
turn  prepared  to  tack.  There  were  no  longer  any  doubts  as  to  where  we  were 
to  land.  We  distinctly  saw  the  people  along  the  heights  watching,  and  doubt- 
less admiring,  the  magnificent  spectacle,  but  there  appeared  to  be  no  signs  of 
alarm  at  sight  of  the  midtitude  of  ships  about  to  enter  their  beautiful  bay."* 

De  Bostaquet  proceeds  to  describe  the  landing  at  Torbay, 
and  the  march  of  the  little  army  inland,  through  mud  and 
mire,  under  heavy  rain  and  along  villainous  roads,  until  they 
entered  Exeter  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  people.     De 

*  M^7noires  In€dits  de  Dumont  de  Bostaquet,  p.  214-15. 


FLIGHT  OF  JAMES  11.  20V 

Bostaquet  found  that  many  of  his  exiled  countrymen  had  al- 
ready settled  at  Exeter,  where  they  had  a  church  and  minis- 
ter of  their  own.  Among  others,  he  met  with  a  French  tailor 
from  Lintot  in  Normandy,  who  had  become  established  in 
business,  besides  other  refugees  from  Dieppe  and  the  adjoin- 
ing country,  who  were  settled  and  doing  well.  De  Bosta- 
quet expressed  himself  much  gratified  with  his  short  stay  in 
Exeter,  which  he  praised  for  its  wealth,  its  commerce,  its 
inanufactures,  and  the  hospitality  of  its  inhabitants.* 

After  resting  six  or  seven  days  at  Exeter,  William  and  his 
army  marched  upon  London  through  Salisbury,  being  daily 
joined  by  fresh  adherents — gentry,  officers,  and  soldiers.  The 
army  of  James  made  no  effort  at  resistance,  but  steadily  re- 
tired; the  only  show  of  a  stand  being  made  at  Reading, 
where  five  hundred  of  the  king's  horse,  doubtless  fighting 
without  heart,  were  put  to  flight  by  a  hundred  and  fifty  of 
William's  dragoons,  led  by  the  Huguenot  Colonel  Marouit. 
Not  another  shot  was  fired  before  William  arrived  in  Lon- 
don, and  was  welcomed  as  the  nation's  deliverer.  By  this 
time  James  was  making  arrangements  for  flight,  together 
with  his  Jesuits.  He  might  easily  have  been  captured  and 
made  a  martyr  of;  but  the  mistake  made  in  the  case  of 
Charles  L  was  not  repeated,  and  James,  having  got  on  board 
a  smack  in  the  Thames,  was  allowed  to  slink  ignominiously 
out  of  his  kingdom  and  take  refuge  in  France,  there  to  seek 
the  consolation  of  his  royal  brother  Louis  the  Great,  whose 
policy  he  had  so  foolishly  and  so  wickedly  attempted  to  im- 
itate.f 

*  While  in  Exeter,  De  Bostaquet  for  the  first  time  attended  the  English 
service  in  the  Cathedral,  as  conducted  in  the  time  of  James  II.  He  found  it 
very  different  from  the  plain  Calvinistic  worship  of  the  Huguenots,  and  thus 
recorded  his  impressions  of  it:  "What  sui-prised  me  was  to  find  that  it 
seemed  to  retain  nearly  all  the  externals  of  poper}-.  The  churches  have  al- 
tars, two  great  candles  at  each  side,  and  a  hasin  of  silver  or  silver-gilt  be- 
tween them.  The  canons,  dressed  in  suiijlice  and  stole,  occupy  stalls  on  both 
sides  of  the  nave.  They  have  a  choir  of  little  boys  in  sm-plices  who  sing  with 
them  ;  the  music  seems  to  me  fine,  and  they  have  charming  voices.  15 ut  as 
all  this  is  very  much  opposed  to  the  simjilicity  of  our  Reformed  religion,  I 
confess  I  was  by  no  means  edified  with  it"  (p.  1?2S). 

+  Little  more  than  a  month  elapsed  between  the  landing  of  the  Prince  of 


208  DE  BOSTAQUET  IN  ENGLAND. 

The  Huguenot  officers  and  soldiers  of  William's  army- 
found  many  of  their  exiled  countrymen  already  settled  in 
London.  Soho  in  the  west,  and  Spitalfields  in  the  east,  were 
almost  entirely  French  quarters.  Numbers  of  new  churches 
were  about  this  time  opened  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
immigrants,  in  which  the  service  was  conducted  in  French 
by  their  own  ministers,  some  of  the  most  eminent  of  whom 
had  taken  refuge  in  England.  The  exiles  formed  communi- 
ties by  themselves;  they  were,  for  the  most  part,  organized 
in  congregations,  and  a  common  cause  and  common  suffer- 
ings usually  made  them  acquainted  with  each  other.  De 
Bostaquet  and  his  compatriots,  therefore,  did  not  find  them- 
selves so  much  strangers  in  London  as  they  expected  to  be, 
for  they  were  daily  encountering  friends  and  brothers  in  mis- 
fortune. 

A  distinguished  little  circle  of  exiles  had  by  this  time  been 
formed  at  Greenwich,  of  which  the  aged  Marquis  de  Ruvigny' 
formed  the  centre.  That  nobleman  had  for  many  years  been 
one  of  the  most  trusted  servants  of  the  French  government. 
He  held  various  high  offices  in  his  own  country,  being  a  gen- 
eral in  the  French  army  and  a.  councilor  of  state ;  and  he 
liad  on  more  than  one  occasion  represented  France  as  envoy 

Orange  in  Torbay  and  the  flight  of  James  II.  Tiie  landing  took  phice  on  the 
nth  of  November,  l(i8S.  and  the  abdication  of  James  on  tlie  lOth  of  Pecem- 
her  following.  One  of  James's  Jesnit  followers  addressed  tlie  following  char- 
acteristic letter  to  liis  I^rovincial  at  Rome  on  tlie  last-monlioned  date: 

"Signor  William,  m>  reverend  Father, — Behold  the  end  of  all  the  good 
ho])es  of  the  progress  of  our  holy  religion  in  this  country.  The  king  and  tlie 
(|ueen  are  fugitives  ;  all  their  adherents  have  abandoned  them;  a  new  prince 
has  arrived,  with  a  forei<jn  army,  without  the  shghtest  opposition  ;  a  thing  ihe 
like  of  which  has  never  been  seen  or  heard  of,  and  which  is  without  example 
in  history.  A  king,  the  jieaceful  possessor  of  his  throne,  Mith  an  aimy  of 
tliirty  thousand  soldiers  and  forty  ships  of  war,  is  flying  from  his  kingdcm 
without  firing  so  much  as  a  ))istol-shot.  .  .  .  The  (greatest  eril  lias  conif  fn  in 
ourselves:  our  imprudence,  our  avarice,  and  our  ambition,  have  occa.^-ioned 
all  this.  The  king  is  sen-ed  by  weak  men,  knaves  and  fools,  and  the  great 
minister  you  have  sent  hither  has  had  his  sliare  in  it.  .  .  .  Enough,  my  dear 
friend ;  all  is  over.  .  .  .  The  confusion  is  great ;  neither  faitli  nor  hojie  re- 
main ;  we  are  done  for  this  time,  and  the  fothers  of  om-  holy  society  have  con- 
tributed their  ]iart  toward  the  disaster.  All  the  others — bishops,  confessors, 
I)riests,  and  monks — have  conducted  tliemselves  with  but  little  pnidence." 

This  letter  fin  Italian)  is  (jnoted  by  M.  Guizot  in  his  Collection  des  Meiiioirs 
relut'ifs  it  la  Rccolution  dAixjletcrre. 


THE  MARQUIS  DE  RUVIGNY.  209 

at  the  English  court.  But  he  was  a  Protestant,  and  there- 
fore prechided  from  holding-  public  office  subsequent  to  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  "  Had  the  marquis," 
says  Macaulay,  "chosen  to  remain  in  his  native  country, 
lie  and  his  household  would  have  been  pennitted  to  worship 
God  privately  according  to  their  own  forms.  But  Ruviguy 
rejected  all  offers,  cast  in  his  lot  with  his  brethren,  and,  at  up- 
ward of  eighty  years  of  age,  quitted  Versailles,  where  he 
might  still  have  been  a  favorite,  for  a  modest  dwelling  at 
Greenwich.  That  dwelling  was,  during  the  last  months  of 
his  life,  the  resort  of  all  that  was  most  distinguished  among 
his  fellow-exiles.  His  abilities,  his  experience,  and  his  munif- 
icent kindness  made  him  the  undisputed  chief  of  the  refugees. 
He  was  at  the  same  time  half  an  Englishman,  for  his  sister 
had  been  Countess  of  Southampton,  and  he  was  uncle  of  Lady 
Russell.  He  was  long  past  the  time  of  action.  But  his  two 
sons,  both  men  of  eminent  courage,  devoted  their  swords  to 
the  service  of  William."* 

A  French  church  had  been  founded  by  the  Marquis  of  Ru- 
vigny  at  Greenwich  in  1686,f  of  which  M,  Severin,  an  old  and 
valued  friend  of  De  Bostaquet  and  his  wife,  had  been  appoint- 
ed pastor,  so  that  our  Huguenot  officer  at  once  found  himself 
at  home.  He  was  cordially  received  by  the  aged  marquis, 
who  encouraged  him  to  bring  over  his  family  from  Holland 
and  settle  them  in  the  place.  De  Bostaquet  accordingly  jDro- 
ceeded  to  the  Hague  in  the  spring  of  1689,  and  was  received 
with  great  joy  by  his  wife  after  their  five  months'  separation. 
Accompanied  by  their  two  children,  they  set  out  for  England, 
and,  after  a  tempestuous  voyage,  landed  at  Greenwich,  where 
they  were  cordially  welcomed  by  the  Ruvigny  circle.  Here 
De  Bostaquet  remained  for  only  three  months,  enjoying  the 
society  of  his  family  and  the  hospitality  of  his  friends.    "  The 

*  Macaulat — History  of  England,  vol.  iii.,  ch.  xiv. 

t  The  French  chapel  at  Greenwich  is  still  in  existence,  and  now  used  as  a 
Baptist  chapel.  It  is  situated  in  London  Street,  behind  the  shop  of  Mr. 
Harding,  oilman.  The  commandments  were  written  up  in  French  on  each 
side  of  the  pulpit  until  the  year  1814,  when  they  were  effaced. 

o 


210  DE  BOSTAQUET  IN  ENGLAND. 

time,"  says  he, "  passed  like  a  dream,  as  much  because  of  the 
joy  I  experienced  at  being  reunited  to  my  wife,  as  because 
of  the  beauties  of  the  place  and  the  good  society  I  met  there, 
but,  above  all,  by  the  kindness  of  the  Ruvigny  family,  whose 
generosity  and  charity  toward  the  unfortunate  exiles  is  un- 
failing, and  command  the  respect  and  veneration  of  all  who 
have  the  honor  to  know  them."* 

During  de  Bostaquet's  sojourn  at  Greenwich  his  wife  pre- 
sented him  with  another  son,  his  nineteenth  child,  to  which 
the  Marquis  de  Ruvigny  stood  godfather,  and  after  whom  he 
was  named.  Only  a  month  later  the  good  old  marquis  died, 
andDe  Bostaquet,  with  many  other  illustrious  exiles,  followed 
his  remains  to  his  tomb  in  the  church  of  the  Savoy,  in  the 
Strand,  where  he  was  buried. 

Meanwhile  William  had  been  occupied  in  consolidating  his 
government  and  reducing  the  disaffected  parts  of  the  kmg- 
dom  to  obedience.  With  Scotland  this  Avas  comparatively 
easy,  but  with  Ireland  the  case  Avas  widely  different.  The 
Irish  Roman  Catholics  remained  loyal  to  James  because  of 
his  religion,  and  when  he  landed  at  Kinsale  in  March,  1689, 
he  saw  nearly  the  whole  country  at  his  feet.  Only  the  little 
Presbyterian  colony  established  in  Ulster  made  any  show  of 
resistance.  James  had  arrived  in  Ireland  Avith  substantial 
help  in  arms  and  money  obtained  from  the  French  king,  and 
before  many  weeks  had  elapsed  40,000  Irish  stood  in  arms  to 
support  his  authority.  The  forces  of  William  in  Ireland  Avere 
fcAV  in  number  and  bad  in  quality,  consisting,  for  the  most 
part,  of  raAv  levies  of  young  men  suddenly  taken  from  the 
ploAv.  They  Avere  therefore  altogether  unequal  to  cope  Avith 
the  forces  of  James,  Tyrconnel,  and  the  French  Marshal  de 
Rosen,  and,  but  for  vigorous  measures  on  the  part  of  William 
and  his  government,  it  Avas  clear  that  Ireland  was  lost  to  the 
Englisli  crown. 

The  best  troops  of  William  had  by  this  time  been  either 
sent  abroad  or  disbanded.  The  English  and  Dutch  veteran 
*  M^moires  Ine'dits,  p.  246. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  AT  CARRICKFERGUS.  211 

regiments  had  for  the  most  part  been  dispatched  to  Fhmders 
to  resist  the  French  armies  of  Louis,  who  threatened  a  diver- 
sion in  favor  of  James  in  that  quarter;  while,  in  deference  to 
the  jealousy  which  the  English  people  naturally  entertained 
against  the  maintenance  among  them  of  a  standing  army — 
especially  an  army  of  foreigners — the  Huguenot  regiments 
had  been  disbanded  almost  immediately  after  the  abdication 
of  James  and  his  flight  into  France.  So  soon,  however,  as 
the  news  of  James's  landing  in  Ireland  reached  London,  meas- 
ures were  immediately  taken  for  their  re-embodiment,  and 
four  excellent  regiments  were  at  once  raised — one  of  cavalry 
and  three  of  infantry.  The  cavalry  regiment  was  raised  by 
Schomberg,  who  was  its  colonel,  and  it  was  entirely  com- 
posed of  French  gentlemen — officers  and  privates.  The  in- 
fantry regiments  were  raised  with  the  help  of  the  aged  Mar- 
quis de  Ruvigny;  and  at  his  death  in  July,  1689,  the  enter- 
prise was  zealously  prosecuted  by  his  two  sons — Henry,  the 
second  marquis,  and  Pierre  de  Ruvigny,  afterward  better 
known  as  La  Caillemotte.  These  regiments  were  respective- 
ly commanded  by  La  Caillemotte,  Cambon,  and  La  Melo- 
niere. 

The  French  regiments  were  hastily  dispatched  to  join  the 
little  army  of  about  10,000  men  sent  into  the  north  ofL-e- 
land  to  assist  the  Protestants  in  arms  there  the  same  month 
in  which  they  were  raised.  Their  first  operation  was  con- 
ducted against  the  town  of  Carrickfergus,  which  fell  after  a 
siege  of  a  week,  but  not  without  loss,  for  the  Huguenot  regi- 
ments who  led  the  assault  suffered  heavily,  the  Marquis  de 
Venours  and  numerous  other  officers  being  among  the  killed. 

Shortly  after,  the  Huguenot  regiment  of  cavalry  arrived 
from  England,  and,  joined  by  three  regiments  of  Enniskil- 
leners,  the  army  marched  southward.  De  Bostaquet  held  his 
former  rank  of  captain  in  Schomberg's  horse,  and  he  has  re- 
corded in  his  memoirs  the  incidents  of  the  campaign  Avith  his 
usual  spirit.  The  march  lay  through  burnt  villages  and  a 
country  desolated  by  the  retiring  army  of  James.      They 


212  DE  BOSTAQUET  IN  ENGLAND. 

passed  through  Xewry  and  Carlingford,  both  of  which  were 
found  in  ashes,  and  at  length  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Dundalk,  where  they  encamped.  James  hiy  at  Drogheda 
with  an  army  of  20,000  men,  or  double  their  number.  But 
the  generals  of  neither  force  wished  for  battle — Schomberg, 
because  he  could  not  rely  upon  his  troops,  who  were  ill  fed 
and  (excepting  the  Huguenot  veterans)  ill  disciplined,  and 
Count  Rosen,  James's  French  general,  because  he  did  not 
wish  to  incur  the  risk  of  a  defeat.  The  raw  young  English 
soldiers*  in  the  camj)  at  Dundalk,  unused  to  campaigning, 
died  in  great  numbers.  The  English  foot  were  mostly  with- 
out shoes  and  very  badly  fed ;  yet  they  were  eager  to  fight, 
thinking  it  better  to  die  in  the  field  than  in  the  camp. 
When  they  clamored  to  be  led  into  action,  Schomberg  good- 
humoredly  said,  "  We  English  have  stomach  enough  for  fight- 
ing ;  it  is  a  pity  that  we  are  not  equally  fond  of  some  other 
parts  of  a  soldier's  business." 

At  length,  after  enduring  great  i^rivations,  and  leavmg 
many  of  his  men  under  the  sod  at  Dundalk,f  Schomberg  de- 
cided to  follow  the  example  of  the  Jacobite  army,  and  go 

*  Schomberg  found  that  the  greater  number  of  them  had  never  before  fired 
a  gun.  "  Others  can  inform  your  majesty,"  he  wrote  to  William  (12th  Oct., 
1681:0,  "  that  the  three  regiments  of  French  infantry  and  their  regiment  of 
cavalry  do  their  duty  better  than  the  others."  And  a  few  months  later  he 
added,  "  From  these  three  regiments,  and  from  that  of  cavalry,  your  majesty 
has  more  service  than  from  double  the  number  of  the  others." 

t  "Our  camp  was  on  the  edge  of  a  morass,"  says  De  Bostaquet,  "shelter- 
ed on  one  side  by  horrible  mountains,  from  whence  there  arose  a  ])ei-]ietual 
vapor  as  from  a  furnace.  The  scarcity  of  provisions,  together  with  the  bad 
weather,  occasioned  frightfid  disease.  The  English  died  by  thousands." 
[It  is  stated  in  the  Memoirs  of  Dalrymple,  that  of  1,5,000  men  who  at  ditler- 
ent  times  joined  the  camp,  8000  died.]  "The  colonels,  captains,  and  sol- 
diers of  the  French  regiments  did  not  escape.  Many  officers  and  jtrivates 
died.  A  friend  and  relative  of  my  own,  named  Bonel,  son  of  P'resne-C'ant- 
brun,  of  Caen,  whose  mother,  daughter  of  Secretary  Cognart,  was  a  kinsman 
of  my  first  wife,  died,  much  to  my  sorrow.  Our  regiment  was  attacked  by 
disease.  Captain  de  Brugiere  and  ( 'ornet  Baucelin  both  died ;  the  loss  of 
tiie  latter,  who  was  betrothed  to  a  beautifid  Norman  girl,  occasioned  many 
tears.  Des  Saint-Hermine  and  Brasselaye,  though  they  had  only  been  a 
short  time  in  camp,  both  left  ill.  The  first  died  at  Chester,  and  the  other 
almost  immediately  on  his  reaching  Windsor.  In  short,  there  remained  in 
the  cam])  only  the  dead  and  the  dying." — Mcmoires  Inedits  de  Dumont  de 
Bostaquet,  p.  2G0-1. 


RECR  UiriNG  IN  S  WITZERLA  ND.  2 1 3 

into  winter  quarters.  His  conduct  of  the  campaign  occa- 
sioned much  dissatisfaction  in  England,  where  it  was  expect- 
ed that  he  should  meet  and  fight  James  with  a  famished 
army  of  less  than  half  the  number,  and  under  every  disad- 
vantage. It  had  now,  however,  become  necessary  to  act 
with  vigor  if  the  policy  initiated  by  the  Revolution  of  1688 
was  to  be  upheld ;  for  a  well-appointed  army  of  7300  excel- 
lent French  infantry,  commanded  by  the  Count  of  Lauzun, 
with  immense  quantities  of  arms  and  ammunition,  were  on 
their  way  from  France,  with  the  object  of  expelling  the 
Protestants  from  Ireland  and  replacing  James  upon  the  Brit- 
ish throne. 

William  felt  that  this  was  the  great  crisis  of  the  struggle, 
and  he  determined  to  take  the  field  in  person.  He  at  once 
made  his  arrangements  accordingly.  He  ordered  back  from 
Flanders  his  best  English  and  Dutch  regiments.  He  also  en- 
deavored, so  far  as  he  could,  to  meet  Frenchmen  by  French- 
men; and  dispatched  agents  abroad,  into  all  the  countries 
where  the  banished  Huguenot  soldiers  had  settled,  inviting 
them  to  take  arms  with  him  against  the  enemies  of  their 
faith.  His  invitation  w^as  responded  to  with  alacrity.  Many 
ofSchomberg's  old  soldiers,  who  had  settled  in  Brandenburg, 
Switzerland,  and  the  provinces  of  the  Lower  Rhine,  left  their 
new  homes  and  flocked  to  the  standard  of  William,  The 
Baron  d'Avejan,  lieutenant  colonel  of  an  English  regiment, 
wrote  to  a  friend  in  Switzerland,  urging  the  immediate  enlist- 
ment of  expatriated  Protestants  for  his  regiment,  "  I  feel 
assured,"  said  he, "  that  you  will  not  fail  to  have  published 
in  all  the  French  churches  in  Switzerland  the  obligations  un- 
der which  the  refugees  lie  to  come  and  aid  us  in  this  expedi- 
tion, Avhich  is  directed  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  ultimately  to 
the  re-establishment  of  His  church  in  our  country,"* 

These  stirring  appeals  had  the  effect  of  attracting  a  large 
number  of  veteran  Protestant  soldiers  to  the  army  of  Wil- 

*  Quoted  Itv  Weiss — History  of  the  French  Protestant  Refuqees,  p.  238, 
from  an  luipiiblished  memoir  by  Anthony  Court,  in  the  Geneva  Librar.y. 


214  DE  BOSTAQUET  IN  ENGLAND. 

liam.  Sometimes  four  or  five  hundred  men  left  Geneva  in  a 
week  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  in  England.  Others  were 
dispatched  from  Lausanne,  where  they  were  provided  by  the 
Marquis  d'Arzilliers  with  the  means  of  i-eaching  their  desti- 
nation. Many  more,  scattered  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Le- 
nian,  were  drilled  daily  under  the  flag  of  Orange,  notwith- 
standing the  expostulations  of  Louis's  agents,  and  sent  to 
swell  the  forces  of  William. 

By  these  means,  as  well  as  by  energetic  efforts  at  home,* 
William  was  enabled,  by  the  month  of  June,  1690,  to  assem- 
ble in  the  north  of  Ireland  an  army  of  36,000  men — English, 
French,  Dutch,  Danes,  and  Germans  ;  and  putting  himself  at 
their  head,  he  at  once  marched  southward.f  Arrived  at  the 
Boyne,  about  three  miles  west  of  Drogheda,  he  discerned  the 
combined  French  and  Irish  army  drawn  up  on  the  other  side, 
prepared  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  river.  The  Huguenot 
regiments  saw  before  them  the  flags  of  Louis  XIY.  and 
James  11.  waving  together — the  army  of  the  king  who  had 
banished  them  from  country,  home,  and  family,  makmg  com- 
mon cause  with  the  persecutor  of  the  English  Protestants ; 
and  when  it  became  known  among  them  that  every  soldier 
in  the  opposing  force  bore  the  same  badge — the  white  cross 
in  their  hat — which  had  distinguished  the  assassins  of  tlieir 
forefathers  on  the  night  of  St.  Bartholomew,  they  bui-netl  to 
meet  them  in  battle. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  July,  the  Count  Menard  de 

*  De  Felice — History  of  the  French  Protestants  (p.  339),  says  that  "En- 
gland raised  eleven  regiments  of  French  volunteers;"  but  he  does  not  give 
his  authority.     It  is  probable  this  number  is  an  exaggeration. 

t  William  landed  at  Camckfergus  on  the  14th  of  June,  1G90.  From 
thence  he  proceeded  to  Belfast.  On  his  way  southward  to  join  the  army  at 
Loughbrickland,  when  passing  through  the  village  of  Lambeg,  nearLisburn, 
he  was  addressed  by  one  Rene  Bulmer,  a  Huguenot  refugee,  then  residing  in 
a  house  now  known  as  The  Priory.  Rene  explained  to  his  majesty  the  cause 
of  his  being  settled  there ;  and  as  the  king  was  about  to  pass  on,  he  asked 
permission  to  embrace  him.  To  this  William  at  once  assented,  receiving  the 
Huguenot's  salute  on  his  cheek,  after  wliich,  stooping  from  his  horse  toward 
Bulmer's  wife,  a  pretty  Frenchwoman,  he  said,  "And  thy  wife  too;"'  and 
saluted  her  heartily.  The  name  Bulmer  has  since  been  changed  to  Boomer, 
I)ut  the  Christian  name  Rene'  or  Rainey  is  still  preserved  among  the  descend- 
ants of  the  family.  —  Ulster  Journal  of  ArchcEology,  i.,  135,  28G-'J4. 


BATTLE  OF  THE  BOYNE.  215 

Schomberg,  one  of  the  old  marshal's  sons,  was  ordered  to 
cross  the  river  on  the  right  by  the  bridge  of  Slane,  and  turn 
the  left  flank  of  the  opposing  army.  This  movement  he  suc- 
ceeded in  accomplishing  after  a  sharp  but  short  conflict,  upon 
which  William  proceeded  to  lead  his  left,  composed  of  cav- 
alry, across  the  river,  considerably  lower  down.  At  the  same 
time,  the  main  body  of  infantry  composing  the  centre  was 
ordered  to  advance.  The  Dutch  guards  led,  closely  followed 
by  the  Huguenot  foot.  Plunging  into  the  stream,  they  waded 
across,  and  reached  the  opposite  bank  under  a  storm  of  can- 
non and  musketry.  Scarcely  had  they  struggled  up  the  right 
bank,  than  the  Huguenot  colonel,  La  Caillemotte,  was  struck 
down  by  a  musket -shot.  As  he  was  being  carried  off"  the 
field,  covered  with  blood,  through  the  ranks  of  his  advancing 
men,  he  called  out  to  them,  "  A  la  gloire,  mes  enfans !  a  la 
gloire !" 

A  strong  body  of  Irish  cavalry  charged  the  advancing  in- 
fantry Avith  great  vigor,  shook  them  until  they  reeled,  and 
compelled  them  to  give  way.  Old  Marshal  Schomberg,  who 
stood  eagerly  watching  the  advance  of  his  troops  from  the 
northern  bank,  now  saw  that  the  crisis  of  the  fight  had  ar- 
rived, and  he  prepared  to  act  accordingly.  Placing  himself 
at  the  head  of  his  Huguenot  regiment  of  horse  which  he  had 
held  in  reserve,  and  pointing  with  his  sword  across  the  river, 
he  called  out,  "  ^//o?is,  mes  amis!  rcqypelez  voire  courage  et 
vos  ressentements :  voila  vos  persecuteurs  !"*  and  plunged 
into  the  stream.  On  reaching  the  scene  of  contest  a  furious 
struggle  ensued.  The  Dutch  and  Huguenot  infantry  rallied ; 
and  William,  coming  up  from  the  left  with  his  cavalry,  fell 
upon  the  Irish  flank  and  completed  their  discomfiture.  The 
combined  French  and  Irish  army  was  forced  through  the  pass 
of  Duleek,  and  fled  toward  Dublin — James  H.  being  the  first 
to  carry  thither  the  news  of  his  defeat.f     William's  loss  did 

*  Rapin,  who  relates  this  incident  in  his  Histiwy  of  England,  was  present 
at  the  battle  of  the  Bo_\-ne  as  an  officer  in  one  of  the  Huguenot  regiments. 

t  On  reaching  Dublin  Castle,  James  was  received  by  Lady  Tyrconnel,  the 
wife  of  his  viceroy.     "  Madame,"  said  he,  "your  countrymen  can  run  well." 


216  DE  BOSTAQUET  IN  ENGLAND. 

not  exceed  400  men  ;  but,  to  his  deep  grief,  Marshal  Schoni- 
berg  was  among  the  fallen,  the  hero  of  eighty^two  liaving 
been  cut  down  in  the  melee  by  a  party  of  Tyrconnel's  horse, 
and  he  lay  dead  upon  the  field,  with  many  other  gallant  gen- 
tlemen. 

' '  Not  quite  so  well  as  your  majesty, "  was  her  retort,  "  for  I  see  you  have  won 
the  race." 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

HUGUENOT    OFFICERS    IN   THE    BRITISH   SERVICE. 

It  forms  no  part  of  our  purpose  to  describe  the  military 
operations  in  Ireland  which  followed  the  battle  of  the  Boyne 
farther  than  to  designate  the  principal  Huguenot  officers 
who  took  part  m  them.  Among  these,  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished was  Henry,  second  Marquis  de  Ruvigny.  At  the 
date  of  the  Revocation  he  had  attained  the  rank  of  brigadier 
in  the  army  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  was  esteemed  an  excellent 
officer,  having  served  with  great  distinction  under  Conde  and 
Turenne.  Indeed,  it  is  believed  that  the  French  army  in 
Germany  would  have  been  lost  but  for  the  skill  with  which 
he  reconciled  the  quarrels  of  the  contending  chiefs  who  as- 
pired to  its  command  on  the  death  of  Turenne.  Louis  XIV. 
anxiously  desired  to  retain  Ruvigny  in  his  service,  but  all  his 
offers  of  individual  toleration  were  refused,  and,  casting  in  his 
lot  with  the  exiled  Protestants,  he  left  France  with  his  fiither 
and  settled  with  him  at  Greenwich,  dispensing  hospitality  and 
bounty.  Being  allowed  the  enjoyment  of  his  French  proper- 
ty, he  did  not  join  the  British  army  which  fought  in  Ireland. 
But  when  he  heard  that  his  only  brother,  De  la  Caillemotte, 
as  well  as  Marshal  Schomberg,  had  been  killed  at  the  Boyne, 
he  could  restrain  liis  ardor  no  longer,  and  offered  his  services 
to  King  William,  who  appointed  him  major  general,  and  far- 
ther gave  him  the  colonelcy  of  Schomberg's  regiment  of  Hu- 
guenot horse. 

Ruvigny  immediately  joined  the  army  of  General  Ginkell 
in  Ireland,  Avhile  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Athlone.  There  a 
Huguenot  soldier  was  the  first  to  mount  the  breach,  in  Avhich 
he  fell,  cheering  on  his  comrades.  That  place  taken,  the 
French  general  Saint  Ruth  retired  with  the  Irish  army  to 


218  THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS. 

Aughrim,  where  lie  took  up  an  almost  impregnable  position. 
Notwithstanding  tli.;  advantage,  Ginkell  attacked  and  rout- 
ed the  Irish,  the  pruicipal  share  in  the  victory  being  attrib- 
uted to  the  Marquis  de  Ruvigny  and  his  horse,  who  charged 
impetuously  and  carried  every  thing  before  them.  That  the 
brunt  of  the  battle  was  borne  by  the  Huguenot  regiments  is 
shown  by  the  extent  of  their  loss.  Ruvigny's  regiment  lost 
144  men  killed  and  wounded;  that  of  Cambon,  106  ;  and  that 
of  Belcastle,  85 — being  about  one  fifth  of  the  total  loss  on 
the  side  of  the  victors.  "  After  the  battle,"  says  De  Bosta- 
quet, "  Ginkell  came  up  and  embraced  De  Ruvigny,  declaring 
how  much  he  was  pleased  with  his  bravery  and  his  conduct ; 
then  advancing  to  the  head  of  our  regiment,  he  highly  j^raised 
the  officers  as  well  as  soldiers.  M.  Casaubon,  who  com- 
manded, gained  great  honor  by  his  valor  that  day."*  For 
the  services  rendered  by  De  Ruvigny  on  this  occasion,  Wil- 
liam raised  him  to  the  Irish  peerage  under  the  title  of  Earl 
of  Gal  way. 

In  1693  Lord  Galway  joined  William  in  Flanders,  and  was 
with  him  in  the  severe  battle  of  Neerwinden,  where  the  com- 
bined Dutch  and  English  army  was  defeated  by  Marshal 
Luxemburg.  The  Huguenot  leader  fought  with  conspicuous 
bravery  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry,  and  succeeded  in  covering 
William's  retreat.  He  was  shortly  after  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  general. 

The  w\ar  with  France  was  now  raging  all  round  her  bor- 
ders— along  the  Flemish  and  the  German  frontiers,  and  as  far 
south  as  the  country  of  the  Vaudois.  The  Vaudois  were 
among  the  most  ancient  Protestant  people  in  Europe ;  and 
Louis  Xiy,,  not  satisfied  with  exterminating  Protestantism 
in  his  own  dominions,  sought  to  carry  the  crusade  against  it 
bej^ond  his  own  frontiers  into  the  territories  of  his  neighbors. 
He  accordingly  sent  to  the  young  Duke  of  Savoy,  requiring 
him  to  extirpate  the  Vaudois  unless  they  would  conform  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  The  duke  refused  to  obey  the 
*  Memoires  Inddits  de  Dumont  dc  Bostaquet,  jj.  303. 


THE  EARL  OF  GAL  WAY.  219 

French  king's  behest,  and  besought  the  help  of  the  Emperor 
of  Germany  and  the  Protestant  prmces  of  the  North  to  en- 
able him  to  resist  the  armies  of  Louis.  The  Elector  of  Bran- 
denburg having  ajjplied  to  William  for  one  of  his  generals, 
Charles,  duke  of  Schomberg,  whose  father  fell  at  the  Boyne, 
was  at  once  dispatched  to  the  aid  of  the  Savoy  prince  with 
an  army  consisting  for  the  most  part  of  Huguenot  refugees, 
William  also  undertook  to  supply  a  subsidy  of  £100,000  a 
year  as  the  joint  contribution  of  England  and  Holland  to  the 
cause  of  Protestantism  in  Savoy, 

Schomberg,  on  his  arrival  at  Turin,  found  the  country  in  a 
state  of  the  greatest  consternation,  the  French  army  under 
Catinat  overrunning  it  in  all  directions.  With  his  vigorous 
help,  however,  the  progress  of  the  French  army  was  speedily 
checked ;  but,  unfortunately,  Schomberg  allowed  himself  to 
be  drawn  into  a  pitclied  battle  on  the  plains  of  Marsiglia  in 
October,  1693,  in  which  he  suffered  a  complete  defeat,  at  the 
same  time  receiving  a  mortal  wound,  of  which  he  died  a  few 
days  after  the  battle. 

On  this  untoward  result  of  the  campaign  being  known  in 
England,  the  Earl  of  Galway  was  dispatched  into  Savoy  to 
take  the  command,  as  well  as  to  represent  England  and  Hol- 
land as  embassador  at  the  court  of  Turin.  To  his  dismay,  he 
shortly  discovered  that  the  Duke  of  Savoy  Avas  engaged  in  a 
secret  treaty  with  the  French  government  for  peace,  on  which 
Lord  Galway  at  once  withdrew  with  his  contingent,  the  only 
object  he  had  been  able  to  accomplish  being  to  secure  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  liberty  of  worship  for  the  persecuted  Vaudois. 

On  his  return  to  England  the  earl  was  appointed  one  of 
the  Lords  Justices  of  Ireland ;  and  during  the  time  that  he 
held  the  office,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  establishment  of  the 
linen  trade,  the  improvement  of  agriculture,  and  the  repara- 
tion of  the  losses  and  devastations  from  which  the  country 
had  so  severely  suffered  during  its  civil  wars.  Among  his 
other  undertakings  wa§  the  founding  of  the  French  colony  of 
Portarlington.     By  his  influence  he  induced  a  large  number 


220  THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS. 

of  the  best  class  of  the  refugees — principally  consisting  of  ex- 
iled officers  and  gentry  and  their  families — to  settle  at  that 
place ;  and  he  liberally  assisted  them  out  of  his  private 
means  in  promoting  the  industry  and  prosperity  of  the  town 
and  neighborhood.  He  erected  above  a  hundred  new  dwell- 
ings  of  a  sui^erior  kind  for  the  accommodation  of  the  set- 
tlers. He  built  and  endowed  two  churches  for  their  use — 
one  French,  the  other  English  —  as  well  as  two  excellent 
schools  for  the  education  of  their  children.  Thus  the  little 
town  of  Portarlington  shortly  became  a  centre  of  polite  learn- 
ing, from  which  emanated  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  in  Ireland,  while  the  gentle  and  industrious  life  of  the 
colonists  exhibited  an  example  of  patient  labor,  neatness, 
thrift,  and  orderliness,  which  was  not  without  beneficial  ef- 
fects on  the  surrounding  population. 

But,  much  though  he  did  for  Portarlington,  Lord  Galway 
was  not  permitted  to  complete  what  he  had  so  well  begun. 
It  so  happened  that  as  soon  as  Louis  XIV.  heard  that  Kuvig- 
ny  had  joined  the  army  of  William,  he  ordered  the  immediate 
confiscation  of  all  his  property  in  France.  To  compensate  his 
devoted  follower  for  his  loss,  William  conferred  upon  him  the 
confiscated  estate  of  Portarlington.  This  appropriation  by 
the  king  was,  however,  violently  attacked  in  the  English  Par- 
liament ;  a  bill  was  passed  annulling  all  grants  of  the  kind 
that  he  had  made ;  the  Earl  of  Galway's  career  .as  an  Irish 
landlord  was  thus  brought  to  an  end ;  and  Ruvigny,  like 
many  of  his  fellow-exiles,  was  again  landless. 

Nothing,  however,  could  shake  the  king's  attachment  to 
Lord  Galway,  or  Lord  Galway's  to  him.  Being  unable,  as 
King  of  England,  to  reward  his  faithful  follower,  William  ap- 
pointed him  general  in  the  Dutch  army,  and  colonel  of  the 
Dutch  regiment  of  Foot-guards  (blue).  In  1  VOl ,  Evelyn  thus 
records  in  his  diary  a  visit  made  to  the  distinguished  refugee 
on  his  arrival  in  London  from  Ireland :  "  June  22.  I  went  to 
congratulate  the  arrival  of  that  worthy  and  excellent  person, 
my  Lord  Galway,  newly  come  out  of  Ireland,  where  he  had 


CA  MPAIGN  IN  SPAIN.  22 1 

behaved  himself  so  honestly  and  to  the  exceedmg  satisfac- 
tion of  the  people ;  but  he  was  removed  thence  for  being  a 
Frenchman,  though  they  had  not  a  more  worthy,  valiant,  dis- 
creet, and  trusty  person  on  Avhom  they  could  have  relied  for 
conduct  and  fitness.  He  was  one  who  had  deeply  suffered, 
as  well  as  the  marquis  liis  father,  for  being  Protestants." 

From  this  time  Lord  Galway  was  principally  employed 
abroad  on  diplomatic  missions  and  in  the  field.  The  war 
ag'ainst  France  was  now  in  progress  on  the  side  of  Spain, 
where  the  third  Duke  of  Schomberg,  Count  Menard,  who  led 
the  attack  in  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  was  in  1 704  placed  in 
command  of  the  British  troops  in  Spain,  then  fighting  against 
the  Bourbon  Philip  V.,  in  conjunction  with  a  Portuguese  ar- 
my. Philip  was  supported  by  a  French  army  under  command 
of  the  Duke  of  Berwick,  the  natural  son  of  the  dethroned 
James  II.  The  campaign  languished  under  Schomberg,  and 
the  government  at  home  becoming  dissatisfied  with  his  con- 
duct of  it,  the  Earl  of  Galway  was  sent  out  to  Portugal  to 
take  the  command. 

The  campaigns  which  followed  Avere  mostly  fought  over 
the  ground  since  made  so  famous  by  the  victories  of  Wel- 
lington. There  was  the  relief  of  Gibraltar,  the  storming  of 
Alcantara,  the  siege  of  Badajos — in  which  the  Earl  of  Galway 
lost  an  arm — the  capture  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  and  the  ad- 
vance upon  Madrid.  Then  followed  the  defection  of  the 
Portuguese,  and  a  succession  of  disasters ;  the  last  of  which 
Avas  the  battle  of  Almanza,  where  the  British,  ill  supported 
by  their  Portuguese  allies,  were  defeated  by  the  French  army 
iTuder  the  Duke  of  BerAvick.  Shortly  after,  the  British  forces 
returned  home,  and  the  Earl  of  Galway  resided  for  the  rest 
of  his  life  mostly  at  Rookley,  near  Southampton,  taking  a 
kindly  interest  to  the  last  in  the  relief  of  his  countrymen  suf- 
fering for  conscience'  sake.* 


*  It  was  when  on  a  visit  at  Stratton  House  that  the  good  Earl  of  Galway 
was  summoned  to  his  rest.  He  j)robably  sank  under  the  "bodily  pains"  to 
which  he  was  so  long  subject,  namely,  gout  and  rheumatism.     His  mind  was 


222  THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS. 

When  the  refugees  first  entered  the  service  of  the  Elector 
of  Brandenburg,  doubts  were  expressed  whether  they  would 
fight  against  their  former  fellow-soldiers.  When  they  went 
into  action  at  Neuss,  one  of  the  Prussian  generals  exclaimed, 
"We  shall  have  these  knaves  fighting  against  us  presently." 
But  all  doubts  Avere  dispelled  by  the  conduct  of  the  Hugue- 
not musketeers,  who  rushed  eagerly  upon  the  French  troops, 
and  by  the  fury  of  their  attack  carried  every  thing  before 
them.  It  was  the  same  at  the  siege  of  Bonn,  where  a  hund- 
red refugee  ofiicers,  three  hundred  Huguenot  cadets,  with 
detachments  of  musketeers  and  horse  grenadiers,  demanded 
to  be  led  to  the  assault;  and  on  the  signal  being  given, they 
rushed  forward  with  extraordinary  gallantry.  "The  otfi- 
cers,"  says  Ancillon,  "  gave  proof  that  they  preferred  rather 
to  }-ot  in  the  earth  after  an  honorable  death,  than  that  the 
earth  should  nourish  them  in  idleness  while  their  soldiers 
were  in  the  heat  of  the  fight."  The  outer  works  were  car- 
ried, and  the  place  was  taken.  But  nowhere  did  the  Hugue- 
nots display  such  a  fury  of  resentment  against  the  troops  of 
Louis  as  at  the  battle  of  Almanza,  above  referred  to,  where 
they  were  led  by  Cavalier,  the  famous  Camizard  chief. 

Jean  Cavalier  Avas  the  son  of  a  peasant,  of  the  village  of 
Ribaute,  near  Anduze,  in  Languedoc.  Being  an  ardent  Prot- 
estant, he  took  refuge  from  the  persecutions  in  Geneva  and 
Lausanne,  where  he  worked  for  some  time  as  a  journeyman 
baker.  But  his  love  for  his  native  home  drew  him  back  to 
Languedoc;  and  he  happened  to  visit  it  in  1702,  at  the  time 
when  the  Abbe  du  Chayla  was  engaged  in  directing  the  ex- 
tirpation of  the  Protestant  peasantry  in  the  Cevennes.  These 
poor  people  continued,  in  defiance  of  the  law,  to  hold  relig- 
ious meetings  in  the  woods,  and  caves,  and  fields,  in  conse- 

entire  to  the  last.  He  died  on  the  .3d  of  September,  1 720,  aged  seventy-two. 
He  was  the  last  of  his  family.  Lady  Russell  was  his  nearest  surviving  rela- 
tive, and  became  his  heiress  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  The  i)ro])erty  of  Strat- 
ton  has  passed  out  of  Russell  hands  ;  and  I>ord  Galway's  grave-stone  [in  Mich- 
eldever  church-yard,  ^\■here  he  was  buriedj  can  not  now  be  recognized. — Ag- 
NEW — Protestant  Exiles  from  France  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  p.  14  J, 


JEAN  CAVALIER.  223 


quence  of  which  they  were  tracked,  pursued,  sabred,  hanged, 
or  sent  to  the  galleys,  wherever  found. 

The  peasants  at  length  revolted.  From  forty  to  fifty  of 
the  most  determined  among  them  assembled  at  the  Abbe  du 
Chayla's  house  at  Pont-de-Montvert,  and  proceeded  to  break 
oj)en  the  dungeon  in  which  he  had  penned  up  a  band  of  pris- 
oners, among  whom  were  two  ladies  of  rank.  The  abbe  or- 
dered his  servants  to  repel  the  assailants  with  fire-arms ;  nev- 
ertheless they  succeeded  in  efiecting  an  entrance,  and  stabbed 
the  priest  to  death.  Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  war  of 
the  Blouses,  or  Camizards.  The  Camizards  were  only  poor 
peasants  driven  to  desperation  by  cruelty,  without  any 
knowledge  of  war,  and  Avithout  any  arms  except  such  as 
they  wrested  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  yet  they  main- 
tained a  gallant  struggle  against  the  French  armies  for  a  pe- 
riod of  nearly  five  years. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  revolt,  Jean  Cavalier  assembled  a 
comj^any  of  volunteers  to  assist  the  Cevennes  peasantry,  and 
before  long  he  became  their  recognized  leader.  Though  the 
insurrection  spread  over  Languedoc,  their  entire  numbers  did 
not  exceed  10,000  men.  But  they  had  the  advantage  of  fight- 
ing in  a  mountain  country,  every  foot  of  wdiich  was  familiar 
to  them.  They  carried  on  the  war  by  surprises,  clothing  and 
arming  themselves  with  the  spoils  they  took  from  the  royal 
troops.  They  supplied  themselves  with  balls  made  from  tlie 
chui'ch-bells.  They  had  no  money,  and  needed  none,  the 
peasantry  and  herdsmen  of  the  country  supplying  them  with 
food.  When  they  were  attacked,  they  received  the  first  fire 
of  the  soldiers  on  one  knee,  singing  the  sixty-eighth  psalm : 
"Let  God  arise,  let  his  enemies  be  scattered."  Then  they 
rose,  precipitated  themselves  on  the  enemy,  and  fought  with 
all  the  fury  of  despair.  If  they  succeeded  in  their  onslaughts, 
and  the  soldiers  fled,  they  then  held  assemblies,  which  were 
attended  by  the  Huguenots  of  the  adjoining  country ;  and 
when  they  failed,  they  fled  into  the  hills,  in  the  caverns  of 
which  were  their  magazines  and  hospitals. 


V24  THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS. 

Great  devastation  and  bloodshed  marked  the  course  of  the 
war  of  the  Camizards.  No  mercy  was  shown  either  to  the 
peasantry  taken  in  arms  or  to  those  who  in  any  way  assisted 
them.  Wliole  villages  were  destroyed ;  for  the  order  was 
issued  that  wherever  a  soldier  or  priest  perished,  the  place 
should  immediately  be  burned  down.  The  punishment  of 
the  stake  was  revived.  Gibbets  were  erected  and  kept  at 
work  all  over  Languedoc.  Still  the  insurrection  was  not 
suppressed,  and  the  peasantry  continued  to  hold  their  relig- 
ious meetings  wherever  they  could.  One  day,  on  the  first 
of  April,  1703,  the  intelligence  was  brought  to  Marshal  Mont- 
revil,  in  command  of  the  royal  troops,  that  some  three  hund- 
red persons  had  assembled  for  worship  in  a  mill  near  Nis- 
mes.  He  at  once  hastened  to  the  place  with  a  strong  force 
of  soldiers,  ordei*ed  the  doors  to  be  burst  open,  and  the 
worshipers  against  law  slaughtered  on  the  spot.  The  slow- 
ness with  which  the  butchery  was  carried  on  provoked  the 
marshal's  indignation,  and  he  ordered  the  mill  to  be  fired. 
All  who  had  not  been  murdered  were  burnt — all,  excepting 
one  solitary  girl,  who  was  saved  through  the  humanity  of 
the  marshal's  lackey ;  but  she  was  hanged  next  day,  and  her 
salvor  narrowly  escaped  the  same  fate. 

Even  this  monstrous  cruelty  did  not  crush  the  insurrec- 
tion. The  Camizards  were  from  time  to  time  re-enforced  by 
the  burned-out  peasants ;  and,  led  by  Cavalier  and  his  coad- 
jutor Roland,  they  beat  the  detachments  of  Montrevil  on  ev- 
ery side — at  Nayes,  at  the  rocks  of  Aubais,  at  Martignargues, 
and  at  the  Bridge  of  Salindres.  The  "  Most  Christian  King" 
was  disgusted  at  the  idea  of  a  Marshal  of  France,  supported 
by  a  royal  army  completely  appointed,  being  set  at  defiance 
by  a  miserable  horde  of  Protestant  peasants,  and  he  ordered 
the  recall  of  Montrevil.  Then  Marshal  Villars  was  sent  to 
take  the  command. 

The  new  marshal  was  an  honorable  man,  and  no  butcher. 
He  shuddered  at  the  idea  of  employing  means  such  as  his 
predecessor  had  employed  to  reduce  the  king's  subjects  to 


JEAN  CA  VALIEll  225 


obedience,  and  one  of  the  first  things  he  did  was  to  invite 
Cavalier  to  negotiate.  Tlie  qnondani  baker's  boy  of  Geneva 
agreed  to  meet  the  potent  Marshal  of  France  and  listen  to 
bis  projDosals.  Villars  thus  described  him  in  his  letter  to  the 
minister  of  war:  "He  is  a  peasant  of  the  lowest  rank,  not  yet 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  scarcely  seeming  eighteen; 
small,  and  with  no  imposing  mien,  but  possessing  a  firmness 
and  good  sense  that  are  altogether  surprising.  He  has  great 
talent  in  arranging  for  the  subsistence  of  his  men,  and  dis- 
poses his  troojDS  as  well  as  the  best  trained  ofiicers  could  do. 
From  the  moment  Cavalier  began  to  treat  up  to  the  conclu- 
sion, he  has  always  acted  in  good  faith." 

In  the  negotiations  which  ensued,  Cavalier  stipulated  for 
liberty  of  conscience  and  freedom  of  worship,  to  which,  it  is 
said,  Villars  assented,  though  the  Roman  Catholics  subse- 
quently denied  this.  The  result,  however,  was,  that  Cavalier 
capitulated,  accepted  a  colonel's  commission,  and  went  to 
Versailles  to  meet  Louis  XIV. ;  his  fellow-leader,  Roland,  re- 
fusing the  terms  of  capitulation,  and  determining  to  continue 
the  struggle.  At  Paris,  the  mob,  eager  to  behold  the  Ceven- 
nol  rebel,  thronged  the  streets  he  rode  through,  and  his  re- 
ception was  almost  tantamount  to  a  triumph.  At  Versailles 
Louis  exhorted  him  in  vain  to  be  converted,  Cavalier  even 
daring  in  his  presence  to  justify  the  revolt  in  the  Cevennes. 
He  was  ofiered  the  rank  of  major  general  in  the  French  army, 
and  a  pension  of  1500  livres  for  his  father  as  the  price  of  his 
apostasy ;  but  still  he  refused ;  and  he  was  dismissed  from 
court  as  "  an  obstinate  Huguenot." 

Though  treated  with  apparent  kindness,  Cavalier  felt  that 
he  was  under  constant  surveillance,  and  he  seized  the  earli- 
est opportunity  of  flying  from  France  and  takmg  refuge  in 
Switzerland.  From  thence  he  passed  into  Holland,  and  en- 
tered the  service  of  William  of  Orange,  who  gave  him  the 
rank  of  colonel.  The  Blouses,  or  Camizards,  who  had  fled 
from  the  Cevennes  in  large  numbers,  flocked  to  his  standard, 
and  his  regiment  was  soon  full.    But  a  difiiculty  arose.    Cav- 

P 


226  THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS. 

alier  insisted  on  selecting  his  own  officers,  while  the  royal 
commissioners  required  that  all  the  comj^anies  should  be 
commanded  by  refugee  gentlemen.  The  matter  was  com- 
promised by  Cavalier  selecting  half  his  officers,  and  the  com- 
missioners appointing  the  other  half — Cavalier  selecting  only 
such  as  had  thoroughly  proved  their  valor  in  the  battles  of 
the  Cevennes.  The  regiment,  when  complete,  proceeded  to 
England,  and  was  dispatched  to  Spain  with  other  re-enforce- 
ments at  the  end  of  1706. 

Almost  the  only  battle  in  which  Cavalier  and  his  Hugue- 
nots took  part  was  on  the  field  of  Almanza,  where  they  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  a  remarkable  degree.  Cavalier 
found  himself  opposed  to  one  of  the  French  regiments,  in 
whom  he  recognized  his  former  persecutors  in  the  Cevennes. 
The  soldiers  on  both  sides,  animated  by  a  common  fury, 
rushed  upon  each  other  with  the  bayonet,  disdaining  to  fire. 
The  carnage  which  followed  was  dreadful.  The  papist  regi- 
ment was  annihilated,  while  of  Cavalier's  regiment,  700 
strong,  not  more  than  300  survived.  Marshal  Berwick, 
though  familiar  with  fierce  encounters,  never  si)oke  of  this 
tragical  event  without  deep  emotion.*  Cavalier  himself  was 
severely  wounded,  and  lay  for  some  time  among  the  slain, 
afterward  escaping  through  the  assistance  of  an  English  offi- 
cer. His  lieutenant  colonel,  five  captains,  six  lieutenants,  and 
five  ensigns,  were  killed,  and  most  of  the  other  officers  were 
wounded  or  taken  prisonei's. 

Cavalier  returned  to  England,  where  he  retired  upon  a 
small  pension,  which  barely  supported  him,  and  he  fell  into 
debt.f  He  entreated  to  be  employed  in  active  service,  but 
it  Avas  not  until  after  the  lapse  of  many  years  that  his  appli- 
cation was  successful.  He  was  eventually  appointed  gov- 
ernor of  Jersey,  and  held  that  office  for  some  time ;  after 

*  Weiss,  p.  250. 

t  "While  he  resided  in  London,  Cavalier  employed  part  of  his  leisure  in  dic- 
tating to  another  refugee,  Galli  of  Nismes,  the  memoirs  of  his  early  adven- 
tures, which  were  published  under  the  title  o^  Memoirs  of  the  Wars  of  the 
Cevennes:  London,  172G. 


RAI'IN-  THO  YRA  S. 


which  he  was  made  brigadier  in  1735,  and  farther  promoted 
to  be  major  general  in  1739.  He  died  at  Chelsea  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  his  remains  were  conveyed  to  Dublin  for 
interment  in  the  French  refugee  cemetery  near  that  city. 

Another  illustrious  name  among  the  Huguenot  refugees  is 
that  of  Paul  de  Rapin-Thoyras,  better  known  as  the  historian 
of  England  than  as  a  soldier,  though  he  bore  arms  with  the  ^ 
English  in  many  a  hard-fought  field.  He  belonged  to  a 
French  noble  family,  and  was  Lord  of  Thoyras,  near  Castres. 
The  persecution  drove  him  and  his  family  into  England ;  but, 
finding  nothing  to  do  there,  he  went  over  to  Holland,  and  join- 
ed the  army  of  William  as  a  cadet.  He  accompanied  the  ex- 
pedition to  Torbay,  and  took  part  in  the  transactions  which 
followed.  Rapin  was  afterward  sent  into  Ireland  with  his  reg- 
iment, and,  distinguishing  himself  by  his  gallantry  at  the  siege 
of  Carrickfergus,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant. 
He  afterward  fought  at  the  Boyne,  and  was  wounded  at  the 
assault  of  Limerick.  At  Athlone  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
enter  the  place  at  the  head  of  the  assailing  force.  He  wa« 
there  promoted  to  a  company,  and  remained  at  Athlone,  do- 
ing garrison  duty,  for  about  two  years.  His  intelligence  and 
high  culture  being  known,  Rapin  was  selected  by  the  king, 
on  the  recommendation  of  the  Earl  of  Galway,  as  tutor  to 
the  Earl  of  Portland's  eldest  son,  Viscount  "Woodstock.  He 
accordingly  took  leave  of  the  army  with  regret,  making  over 
his  company  to  his  brother,  who  afterward  attained  the  rank 
of  lieutenant  colonel.  From  this  time  Rapin  lived  principal- 
ly abroad  in  company  with  his  pupil.  While  residing  at  the 
Hague,  he  resumed  his  favorite  study  of  history  and  jurispru- 
dence, which  had  been  interrupted  by  his  flight  from  France 
at  the  Revocation.  After  completing  Lord  Woodstock's  ed- 
ucation, Rapin  settled  at  Wesel,  where  a  number  of  retired 
refugee  ofiicers  resided,  and  formed  a  very  agreeable  society. 
There  he  wrote  his  Dissertation  on  Whigs  and  Tories^  and 
his  well-knoAvn  History  of  England,  founded  on  Rhymer's 
Fcedera,  a  work  of  much  labor  and  research,  and  long  regard- 
ed as  a  standard  work.     Rapin  died  in  1725,  at  the  age  of 


228  THE  HUGUENOT  OFFICERS. 

sixty-four,  almost  pen  in  hand,  -worn  out  by  hard  study  and 
sedentary  confinement. 

x\mong  the  many  able  Huguenot  officers  in  William's  serv- 
ice, John  de  Bodt  Avas  one  of  the  most  distinguished.  He  had 
fled  from  France  when  only  in  his  fifteenth  year,  and  shortly 
after  joined  the  Dutch  artillery.  He  accompanied  William 
to  England,  and  was  made  captain  in  1690.  He  fought  at 
tlie  Boyne  and  at  Aughrim,  and  eventually  rose  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  French  corps  of  engineers.  In  that  capacity  he 
served  at  the  battles  of  Steinkirk  and  Nerwinde,  and  at  the 
siege  of  Namur  he  directed  the  operations  which  ended  in 
the  surrender  of  the  castle  to  the  allied  army.  The  fort  into 
which  Boufflers  had  thrown  himself  Avas  assaulted  and  cap- 
tured a  few  days  later  by  La  Cave  at  the  head  of  2000  vol- 
unteers, and  William  HI.  generously  acknowledged  that  it 
was  mainly  to  the  brave  refugees  that  he  owed  the  capture 
of  that  important  fortress. 

All  through  the  Avars  in  the  Loav  Countries,  under  William 
HI.,  Eugene,  and  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  the  refugees  bore 
themselA'es  bravely.  WhercA^er  the  fighting  Avas  hardest,  they 
were  there.  Henry  de  Chesnoi  led  the  assault  Avhich  gave 
Landau  to  the  allies.  At  the  battles  of  Hochstedt,  Oude- 
narde,  Malplaquet,  and  at  the  siege  of  Mons,  they  were  con- 
spicuous for  their  A^alor.  Le  Roche,  the  Huguenot  engineer, 
conducted  the  operations  at  Lisle, "  doing  more  execution," 
says  Luttrell, "  in  three  days,  than  De  Meer,  the  German,  in 
six  weeks." 

The  refugee  Ligoniers  served  Avith  peculiar  distinction  in 
the  British  army.  The  most  eminent  Avas  Jean  Louis,  after- 
Avard  Field  Marshal  Earl  Ligonier,  Avho  fled  from  France  into 
England  in  1697.  He  accompanied  the  army  to  Flanders  as 
a  volunteer  in  1702,  where  his  extraordinary  bravery  at  the 
storming  of  Liege  attracted  the  attention  of  Marlborough. 
At  Blenheim,  where  he  next  fought,  he  Avas  the  only  captain 
of  his  regiment  Avho  survived.  At  Menin  he  led  the  grena- 
diers wlio  stormed  the  counterscarp.  He  fought  at  Malpla- 
quet, where  he  Avas  major  of  brigade,  and  in  all  Marlborough's 


HUGUENOT  SAILORS.  229 

great  battles.  At  Dettingen,  as  lieutenant  general,  he  earned 
still  higher  distinction.  At  Fontenoy  the  chief  honor  was 
due  to  hira  for  the  intrepidity  and  skill  with  which  he  led 
the  British  infantry.  In  1 746  he  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  British  forces  in  Flanders,  but  was  taken  prisoner  at  the 
battle  of  Lawfield.  Restored  to  England,  he  was  appointed 
commander-in-chief  and  colonel  of  the  First  Foot  Guards; 
and  in  1770  the  Huguenot  hero  died  full  of  honors,  at  the  ripe 
age  of  ninety-two. 

Of  the  thousands  of  Protestant  sailors  who  left  France  at 
the  Revolution,  many  settled  in  the  ports  along  the  south 
and  southeastern  coast  of  England ;  but  the  greater  number 
entered  the  Dutch  fleet,  while  a  j^ortion  took  service  in  the 
navy  of  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg.  Louis  XIV.  took  the 
same  stej^s  to  enforce  conversion  upon  his  sailors  that  he  did 
upon  the  other  classes  of  his  subjects ;  but,  so  soon  as  the 
sailors  arrived  in  foreign  ports,  they  usually  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  deserting  their  ships,  and  thus  reasserting  their 
liberty.  In  1686,  three  French  vessels,  which  had  put  into 
Dutch  ports,  were  entirely  deserted  by  their  crews,  and  in 
the  same  year  more  than  800  experienced  mariners,  trained 
under  Duquesne,  entered  the  navy  of  the  United  Provinces. 
When  William  sailed  for  England  in  1688,  the  island  of  Zea- 
land alone  sent  him  150  excellent  French  sailors,  who  were 
placed,  as  picked  men,  on  board  the  admiral  and  vice -ad- 
miral's ships.  Like  their  Huguenot  fellow-countrymen  on 
land,  the  Huguenot  sailors  fought  valiantly  at  sea  under  the 
flag  of  their  adopted  country,  and  they  emulated  the  brav- 
ery of  the  English  themselves  at  the  great  naval  battle  of  La 
Hogue  a  few  years  later.  Many  of  the  French  naval  oflicers 
rose  to  high  rank  in  William's  service,  and  acquired  distinc- 
tion by  their  valor  on  that  element  which  England  has  been 
accustomed  to  regard  as  peculiarly  her  own.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  Gamblers,  descended  froni  a  Hugue- 
not refugee,  one  of  whom  rose  to  be  a  vice-admiral,  and  the 
other  an  admiral,  the  latter  having  also  been  raised  to  the 
peerage  for  his  distinguished  public  services. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

HUGUENOT   SETTLERS   IJf   ENGLANT*. MEX   OF   SCIENCE    AND 

LEARNING. 

Of  the  half  million  of  French  subjects  who  were  driven 
into  exile  by  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  more 
than  120,000  are  believed  to  have  taken  refuge  in  England. 
The  refugees  were  of  all  ranks  and  conditions — landed  gen- 
try, ministers  of  religion,  soldiers  and  sailors,  professional  men, 
merchants,  students,  mechanics,  artisans,  and  laborers.  The 
greater  number  were  Calvinists,  and  continued  such ;  others 
were  Lutherans,  who  conformed  to  the  English  Church ;  but 
many  were  Protestants  merely  in  name,  principally  because 
they  belonged  to  families  of  that  persuasion.  But,  however 
lightly  their  family  religion  might  sit  upon  them,  these  last 
offered  as  strenuous  a  resistance  as  the  most  extreme  Cahin- 
ists  to  being  dragooned  into  popery.  This  was  especially  the 
case  with  men  of  science,  professional  men,  and  students  of 
law  and  medicine.  Hence  the  large  proportion  of  physicians 
and  surgeons  to  be  found  in  the  ranks  of  the  refugees. 

It  was  not  merely  free  religious  thought  that  Louis  XIV. 
sought  to  stifle  in  France,  but  free  thought  of  all  kinds.  The 
blow  struck  by  him  at  the  conscience  of  France,  struck  also 
at  its  mind.  Lidividualism  Mas  crushed  wherever  it  assert- 
ed itself  An  entire  abnegation  of  the  will  was  demanded. 
Men  must  abjure  their  faith,  and  believe  as  they  were  order- 
ed. They  must  become  part  of  a  stereotyped  system — pro- 
fess adherence  to  a  church  to  which  they  were  inditt'crent,  if 
they  did  not  actually  detest  it — pretend  to  believe  what  they 
really  did  not  believe,  and  hi  many  cases  even  deny  their 
most  deeply-rooted  convictions. 


IIUYGHENS—BAYLE—DE  CAUS.  231 

To  indolent  minds  such  a  system  Avould  no  doubt  save  an 
infinity  of  trouble.  Once  induce  men  to  give  up  their  indi- 
viduality, to  renounce  the  exercise  of  their  judgment,  to  cease 
to  think,  and  entertain  the  idea  that  a  certain  set  of  men,  and 
no  other,  held  in  their  hands  the  keys  of  heaven  and  hell,  and 
conformity  became  easy.  But  many  of  the  French  king's 
subjects  were  of  another  temperament.  They  would  think 
for  themselves  in  matters  of  science  as  well  as  religion  ;  and 
the  vigorous,  the  independent,  and  the  self-reliant — Protest- 
ant as  well  as  non-Protestant — revolted  against  the  intel- 
lectual tyranny  which  Louis  attempted  to  establish  among 
them,  and  tied  for  liberty  of  thought  and  worship  into  other 
lands. 

"We  have  already  referred  to  such  men  as  Huyghens  and 
Bayle,  who  took  refuge  in  Holland,  and  there  found  the  free- 
dom denied  them  in  their  own  country.  These  men  were 
not  Protestants  so  much  as  philosophers ;  but  they  could  not 
be  hypocrites,  and  they  would  not  conform :  hence  they  fled 
from  France.  Others  of  like  stamp  took  refuge  in  England. 
Among  these  latter  were  some  of  the  earliest  speculators  as 
to  that  wonderful  motive  power  Avhich  eventually  became 
embodied  in  the  working  steam-engine.  One  of  these  fugi- 
tives was  Solonion  de  Caus,  a  native  of  Caux,  in  Normandy. 
He  Avas  a  man  of  encyclopasdic  knowledge.  He  studied  arch- 
itecture in  Italy,  and  was  an  engineer,  a  mechanic,  and  a  nat- 
ural philosopher.  Moreover,  he  was  a  Huguenot,  which  was 
fatal  to  his  existence  in  France  as  a  free  man,  and  he  took  ref- 
uge in  England.  There  he  was  employed  about  the  court 
for  a  time,  and,  among  other  works,  designed  and  erected  hy- 
draulic works  for  the  palace  gardens  at  Richmond.  Shortly 
after  he  accompanied  the  Princess  Elizabeth  to  Heidelberg, 
in  Germany,  on  her  marriage  to  the  Elector  Palatine,  and 
there  he  published  several  works  descriptive  of  the  progress 
he  had  made  in  his  inquiries  as  to  the  marvelous  powers  of 
steam. 

But  still  more  distinsruished  amons:  the  Husjuenot  refugees 


232  II UG  UENO  T  LITERA  TI. 

was  Dr.  Denis  Papin,  one  of  the  early  inventors  of  the  steam- 
engine,  and  probably  also  the  inventor  of  the  steam-boat. 
He  was  born  at  Blois  in  1650,  and  studied  medicine  at  the 
University  of  Paris,  where  he  took  his  degree  as  physician. 
He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  met  with 
considerable  success ;  but,  being  attracted  to  the  study  of 
mechanics,  and  having  the  advantage  of  the  instruction  of 
the  celebrated  Huyghens,  he  made  rapid  progress,  and  prom- 
ised to  become  one  of  the  most  eminent  scientific  men  of  his 
country.  But  Papin  was  a  Protestant ;  and  when  the  practice 
of  medicine  by  Protestant  physicians  came  to  be  subjected 
to  serious  disabilities,*  finding  the  door  to  j^romotion  or  even 
to  subsistence  closed  against  him  unless  he  abjured,  Papin 
determined  to  leave  France;  and  in  1681,  the  same  year  in 
which  Huyghens  took  refuge  in  Holland,  Papin  took  refuge 
in  England.  Arrived  in  London,  he  was  cordially  welcomed 
by  the  men  of  science  there,  and  especially  by  the  Honorable 
Robert  Boyle,  under  whose  auspices  he  was  introduced  to 
the  Royal  Society. 

In  the  year  of  his  arrival  in  London,  Papin  published  a 
work  descri23tive  of  his  new  digester,  which  excited  consider- 
able interest.  By  means  of  this  digester — in  Avhich  the  heat 
of  the  water  was  raised  much  above  the  boiling-i)oint  by  pre- 
venting the  escape  of  the  steam — Papin  was  enabled  to  ex- 
tract all  the  nutritious  matter  from  the  bones  of  animals, 
which  had  until  then  been  thrown  away  as  useless.  The 
Fellows  of  the  Royal  Society  had  a  sujjper  cooked  by  the  di- 
gester, of  which  Evelyn  gives  an  account  in  his  diar3\  The 
kino;  commanded  a  dio-ester  to  be  made  for  Whiteliall,  and 


*  In  1G80,  Protestant  Ia^vJ'ers  and  medical  men  were  declared  excluded 
from  holding  any  public  emplojTnent ;  and  in  the  following  year,  physicians, 
surgeons,  and  others,  called  to  assist  the  sick  of  the  Keformed  religion,  were 
commanded  to  give  notice  tliereof,  under  ])enalty  of  a  fine  of  five  hundred 
livres ;  and  on  the  notice  being  given,  tlie  magistrates  were  required  to  visit 
the  sick,  with  or  without  a  priest,  and  ask  them  if  they  would  abjure.  Prot- 
estant midwivcs  were  absolutely  forbidden  to  exercise  their  vocation,  "  be- 
cause tliey  did  not  believe  baptism  to  be  necessary,  and  could  not  christen 
children  on  emergency." 


DEyi6  PA  PIN.  i'3£ 


the  invention  shortly  came  into  general  nse.  In  the  preface 
to  the  second  edition  of  his  work,  Papin  announces  that  he 
"  will  let  people  see  the  Machines  try'd  once  a  Aveek,  in  Black- 
friars,  in  Water  Lane,  at  Mr,  Boissonet's  [doubtless  another 
Huguenot  refugee],  over  against  the  Blew  Boot,  every  Mon- 
day at  three  of  the  clock  in  the  aftei'uoon ;  but,  to  avoid  con- 
fusion and  crowding  in  of  unknown  people,  those  that  will  do 
me  the  honour  to  come  are  desired  to  bring  along  with  them 
a  recommendation  from  any  of  the  members  of  the  Royal  So- 
ciety." 

In  1684  Papin  was  appointed  temporary  curator  of  the 
Royal  Society,  with  a  salary  of  £30  a  year.  It  formed  part 
of  his  duty,  in  connection  with  his  new  office,  to  produce  an 
experiment  at  each  meeting  of  the  society,  and  this  led  him 
to  prosecute  his  inquiries  into  the  powers  of  steam,  and  ulti- 
mately to  invent  his  steam-engine.*  Papin's  reputation  hav- 
ing extended  abroad,  he  was  invited  to  fill  the  office  of  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  in  the  University  of  Marburg,  which 
he  accepted;  and  he  left  England  in  the  year  1687.  But  he 
continued,  iintil  his  death,  many  years  later,  to  maintain  a 
friendly  correspondence  with  his  scientific  fi-iends  in  En- 
gland ;  and  one  of  the  last  things  he  did  was  to  construct  a 
model  steam-engine  fitted  in  a  boat  — "  une  petite  machine 
d'un  vaisseau  a  roues" — for  the  purpose  of  sending  it  over  to 
England  for  trial  on  the  Thames.f  But,  unhappily  for  Papin, 
the  little  vessel  never  reached  England.  To  his  great  grief, 
he  found  that  when  it  had  reached  as  far  as  Mihiden,  on  the 
Weser,  it  was  seized  by  the  boatmen  of  the  river  and  barbar- 
ously destroyed.  Three  years  later  the  illustrious  exile  died, 
worn  out  by  work  and  anxiety,  leaving  it  to  other  inventors 

*  For  an  account  of  Solomon  tie  Cans,  as  well  as  of  the  life  and  labors  of 
Dr.  Papin,  see  "Historical  Memoir  of  the  invention  of  the  Steam-engine," 
given  in  the  Lives  of  Boulton  and  W(ttt,  p.  8,  30-8. 

t  "It  is  important,"  he  wrote  to  Leibnitz,  on  the  7th  of  July,  1707,  "  that 
my  new  construction  of  vessel  should  be  put  to  the  jiroof  in  a  sea-port  like 
London,  where  there  is  de])th  enough  to  apply  the  new  invention,  which,  by 
means  of  fire,  will  render  one  or  two  men  capable  of  producing  more  effect 
than  some  hundi-eds  of  rowers. " 


234  HUG  UENO  T  LITER  A  TI. 

to  realize  the  great  ideas  he  had  conceived  as  to  locomotion 
by  steam-power. 

Dr.  Desaguliers  was  another  refugee  who  achieved  consid- 
erable distinction  in  England  as  a  teacher  of  mechanical  phi- 
losophy. His  father,  Jean  des  Aguliers,  was  pastor  of  a  Prot- 
estant congregation  at  Aitre,  near  Rochelle,  from  Avhich  he 
fled  about  the  period  of  the  Revocation.  His  child,  the  future 
professor,  is  said  to  have  been  carried  on  board  the  ship  by 
which  he  escaped  concealed  in  a  barrel.*  The  pastor  first 
took  refuge  in  Guernsey,  from  whence  he  proceeded  to  En- 
gland, took  orders  in  the  Established  Church,  and  became 
minister  of  the  French  chajiel  in  Swallow  Street,  London. 
This  charge  he  subsequently  resigned,  and  established  a 
school  at  Islington,  at  which  his  sou  received  his  first  educa- 
tion. From  thence  the  young  man  proceeded  to  Oxford, 
matriculating  at  Christ  Church,  where  he  obtained  the  de- 
gree of  B. A.,  and  took  deacon's  orders.  Being  drawn  to  the 
study  of  natural  philosophy,  he  shortly  after  began  to  deliver 
lectures  at  Oxford  on  hydrostatics  and  optics,  to  Avhich  he 
afterward  added  mechanics. 

His  fame  as  a  lecturer  having  reached  London,  Desaguliers 
was  pressingly  invited  thither,  and  he  accordingly  removed 
to  the  metropolis  in  1713.  His  lectures  Avere  much  admired, 
and  he  had  so  happy  a  knack  of  illustrating  them  by  experi- 
ments that  he  was  invited  by  the  Royal  Society  to  be  their 
demonstrator.  He  was  afterward  appointed  curator  of  the 
society;  and  in  the  course  of  his  connection  with  it  commu- 
nicated a  vast  number  of  curious  and  valuable  papers,  Avhich 
were  printed  in  the  transactions.  The  Duke  of  Chandos  gave 
Desaguliers  tlie  church  livuig  of  Edgeware ;  and  the  king 
(before  A\hom  he  gave  lectures  at  Hamjjton  Court)  presented 

*  The  stiitemcnt  is  mnde  in  the  "  House  and  Farm  Accounts  of  the  Shut- 
tleworths  of  Ginvthori)e  Hall." — Clteetliani  Society's  Papers,  ISoG-S.  The 
Shuttleworths  Mere  related  by  mamage  to  the  Desaguliers  fomily ;  Robert 
Shuttlewnrth,  one  of  the  successors  to  Gawthoipe,  having  married  Anne,  the 
second  daughter  of  General  Desaguliers  (son  of  the  above  Dr.  Desaguliers), 
who  was  one  of  the  equerries  of  George  III. 


DR.  DESAG ULIERS—DURAND—IJE  MOIVRE.  235 

him  with  a  benefice  in  Essex,  besides  appointing  him.  chaplain 
to  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

In  1734  Desaguliers  published  his  Course  of  Experimental 
Philosophy  in  two  quarto  volumes — the  best  book  of  the  kind 
that  had  until  then  appeared  in  England.  It  would  appear 
from  this  work  that  the  doctor  also  designed  and  superin- 
tended the  erection  of  steam-engines.  Referring  to  an  im- 
provement which  he  had  made  on  Savery's  engine,  he  says : 
"  Accordmg  to  this  improvement,  I  have  caused  seven  of 
these  fire-engines  to  be  erected  since  the  year  1717  or  1718. 
The  first  was  for  the  late  Czar  Peter  the  Great,  for  his  garden 
at  Petersburg,  where  it  was  set  up."  Dr.  Desaguliers  died  in 
1749,  leaving  behind  him  three  sons,  one  of  whom,  the  eldest, 
published  a  translation  of  the  Mathematical  Elements  ofXat- 
vral  Philosophy .^  by  Gravesande,  who  had  been  a  pupil  of  his 
father's ;  the  second  was  a  beneficed  clergyman  in  Norfolk ; 
and  the  third  was  a  colonel  of  artillery  and  lieutenant  gen- 
eral in  the  army,  as  well  as  equerry  to  George  HI. 

Among  other  learned  refugees  who  were  elected  members 
of  the  Royal  Society  were  David  Durand,  the  editor  oiPliny^ 
Natural  History^  The  Philosophical  Writings  of  Cicero,  and 
other  classical  works,  and  the  author  of  a  History  of  the  Six- 
teenth Century,  as  well  as  of  the  continuation  o^ Pajmi' s  His- 
tory of  England ;  Peter  des  Maiseaux,  the  intimate  friend  of 
Saint  Evremonde,  whose  works  he  edited  and  translated  into 
English ;  and  Abraham  de  Moivre,  the  celebrated  mathema- 
tician. 

De  Moivre  was  the  son  of  a  surgeon  at  Vitry  in  Cham- 
pagne, and  received  his  principal  education  at  the  Protestant 
seminary  of  Sedan.  From  the  first  he  displayed  an  extraor- 
dinary genius  for  arithmetic ;  and  his  chief  delight  in  his  by- 
hours  Avas  to  shut  himself  up  with  Le  Gendi-c's  arithmetic 
and  work  out  its  problems.  This  led  one  of  his  classical 
masters  to  ask  on  one  occasion,  "What  that  little  rogue 
meant  to  do  with  all  these  ciphers?"  When  the  college  of 
Sedan  was  suppressed  in  1681,  De  Moivre  went  to  Saumur  to 


236  HUGUENOT  LITERATI. 

pursue  his  studies  in  philosophy  there,  and  afterward  to  Paris 
to  prosecute  the  study  of  physics.  By  this  time  liis  father, 
being  prohibited  practicing  as  a  surgeon  because  of  his  relig- 
ion, left  Vitry  to  join  his  son  at  Paris;  but  they  were  not  al- 
lowed to  remain  long  together.  The  agents  of  the  govern- 
ment, acting  on  their  power  of  separating  children  from  their 
parents  and  subjecting  them  to  the  process  of  conversion, 
seized  young  De  Moivre  in  his  nineteenth  year,  and  shut  him 
\\\i  in  the  priory  of  St.  Martin.  There  his  Jesuit  masters 
tried  to  drill  him  into  the  Roman  Catholic  faith ;  but  the 
young  Protestant  was  stanch,  and  refused  to  be  converted. 
Being  pronounced  an  obstinate  heretic,  he  was  discharged 
after  about  two  years'  confinement,  on  which  he  was  ordered 
forthwith  to  leave  the  country. 

De  Moivre  arrived  in  London  with  his  father*  in  1687,  at 
the  age  of  twenty,  and  immediately  bestirred  himself  to  earn 
a  living.  He  had  no  means  but  his  knowledge  and  his  in- 
dustry. He  first  endeavored  to  obtain  pupils,  to  instruct 
them  in  mathematics ;  and  he  also  began,  like  others  of  the 
refugees,  to  give  lectures  on  natural  philosophy.  But  his 
knowledge  of  English  was  as  yet  too  imperfect  to  enable  him 
to  lecture  with  success,  and  he  was,  besides,  an  indifferent 
manipulator,  so  that  his  lectures  w^ere  shortly  discontinued. 
It  happened  that  the  Frina'pia  of  Newton  was  published 
about  the  time  that  De  Moivre  arrived  in  England.  The 
subject  offering  great  attractions  to  a  mind  such  as  his,  he 
entered  upon  the  study  of  the  book  with  much  zest,  and  suc- 
ceeded before  long  in  mastering  its  contents,  and  arriving  at 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  vieAvs  of  the  author.  So  com- 
plete was  his  knowledge  of  Newton's  principles,  that  it  is 
said,  when  Sir  Isaac  was  asked  for  explanations  of  his  M'rit- 
ings,  he  would  say,  "  Go  to  De  Moivre ;  he  knoAvs  better 
than  I  do." 


*  We  find,  from  the  Lists  of  Foreign  Protestants  published  by  the  Camden 
Society  (1S(V2),  tliat  Abraham  and  Daniel  de  Moivre  obtained  letters  of  nat- 
m-alizatiim  on  the  IGth  of  Deeeniber,  1GS7. 


ABRAHAM  BE  MOIVRE.  237 

Thus  De  Moivre  acquired  tlie  friendship  and  respect  of 
Newton,  of  Halley,  and  the  other  distinguished  scientific  men 
of  the  time  ;  and  one  of  the  best  ilhistrations  of  the  esteem 
in  Avhicli  his  intellectual  qualifications  were  held  is  afforded 
by  the  fact  that  in  the  contention  Avhich  arose  between  Leib- 
nitz and  Newton  as  to  their  respective  priority  in  the  inven- 
tion of  the  method  of  fluxions,  the  Royal  Society  appointed 
De  Moivre  to  report  upon  their  rival  claims. 

De  Moivre  published  many  original  works  on  his  favorite 
subject,  more  particularly  on  analytical  mathematics.  Pro- 
fessor De  Morgan  has  observed  of  them  that  "  they  abound 
with  consummate  contrivance  and  skill ;  and  one,  at  least,  of 
his  investigations  has  had  the  effect  of  completely  changing 
the  whole  character  of  trigonometrical  science  in  its  higher 
departments."*  One  of  the  works  published  by  him,  entitled 
The  Doctrine  of  Chances^  is  curious,  as  leading,  in  a  measure, 
to  the  development  of  the  science  of  life  assurance.  From 
the  first  edition  it  does  not  appear  that  De  Moivre  intended 
to  do  more  than  illustrate  his  favorite  theory  of  probabili- 
ties. He  showed  in  a  variety  of  ways  the  probable  results 
of  throwing  dice  in  certain  numbers  of  throws.  From  dice- 
throwing  he  proceeded  to  lotteries,  and  shoAved  how  many 
tickets  ought  to  be  taken  to  secure  the  probability  of  draw- 
ing a  prize.  A  few  years  later  he  applied  his  views  to  a  more 
l^ractical  purpose — the  valuation  of  annuities  on  lives ;  and 
though  the  data  on  which  he  based  his  calculations  were  in- 
correct, and  his  valuations  consequently  unreliable,  the  pub- 
lication of  his  Doctrine  of  Chances^  applied  to  the  valuation 
of  annuities  on  lives,  was  of  much  use  at  the  time  it  apjiear- 
ed,  and  it  formed  the  basis  of  other  and  more  accurate  cal- 
culations. 

De  Moivre's  books  were  on  too  abstruse  subjects  to  yield 
him  much  profit,  and  during  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  had 
to  contend  with  poverty.  It  is  said  that  he  derived  a  pre- 
carious subsistence  from  fees  paid  him  for  solving  questions 
*  Art.  "  De  Moi\Te"  in  Penny  Cyclopcedia. 


238  nUG  UENO T  LITERA  TI. 

relative  to  games  of  chance  and  otlicv  matters  connected  with 
the  vahie  of  probabilities.  He  frequented  a  coffee-house  in 
St.  Martm's  Lane,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  attractions,  and 
there  his  customers  sought  him  to  work  out  their  problems. 
The  occupation  could  not  have  been  very  tolerable  to  siich  a 
man ;  but  he  Avas  growing  old  and  helpless  in  body,  and  his 
power  of  calculating  was  his  only  capital.  He  survived  to 
the  age  of  eighty-seven,  but  during  the  last  month  of  his  life 
he  sank  into  a  state  of  total  lethargy.  Shortly  before  his 
decease  the  Academy  of  Berlin  elected  him  a  member.  The 
French  Academy  of  Sciences  also  elected  him  a  foreign  asso- 
ciate ;  and  on  the  news  of  his  death  reaching  Paris,  M.  de 
Fouchy  drew  up  an  eloquent  eloge  of  the  exiled  Hugiienot, 
which  was  duly  inserted  in  the  records  of  the  Academy. 

For  the  reasons  above  stated,  the  number  of  refugee  phy- 
sicians and  surgeons  who  sought  the  asylum  of  England  Avas 
very  considerable.  Many  of  them  settled  to  practice  in  Loi:- 
don  and  other  towns  in  the  south,  while  others  obtained  ap- 
pointments in  the  army  and  navy.  Weiss  says  it  was  to 
the  French  surgeons  especially  that  England  was  in  a  great 
measure  indebted  for  the  remarkable  perfection  to  which 
English  surgical  instruments  arrived.  The  College  of  Phy- 
sicians in  London  generously  opened  their  doors  to  the  ad- 
mission of  their  foreign  brethren.  Between  the  years  1681 
and  1689  we  find  nine  French  physicians  admitted,  among 
whom  we  observe  the  name  of  the  eminent  Sebastian  le 
Fevre.*  One  of  the  members  of  the  same  family  subse- 
quently settled  in  Spitalfields  as  a  silk  manufacturer,  from 
whom  the  late  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  now  Vis- 
count Eversley,  is  lineally  descended. 

Among  the  literary  men  of  the  emigration  were  the  broth- 
ers Du  Moulins — Louis,  for  some  time  Camden  professor  of 

*  The  famil}'  were  of  long  and  eminent  standing  in  Anjou  as  medical  men. 
Joshua  le  Fevre  obtained  letters  of  nnturalization  in  1G81  ;  but  before  that 
date  Nicasius  le  Fevre,  a  member  of  the  same  family,  was  appointed  chemist 
to  Charles  II.,  with  a  fee  of  £150  a  year. — Dl'KRANT  CoorER — Lists  o/Fnr- 
eiijn.  Protestants,  p.  xxvi. 


REFUGEE  AUTHORS.  239 

history  at  Oxford,  and  Peter,  prebendary  of  Canterbury — 
both  authors  of  numerous  works  ;  Henry  Justel,  the  learned 
secretary  to  Louis  XIV.,  who  sold  off  his  valuable  library 
and  fled  to  England  some  years  before  the  Re\ocation,  when 
he  was  appointed  king's  librarian ;  Peter  Anthony  Motteaux, 
an  excellent  Ihiguist,  whose  translations  of  Cervantes  and 
Rabelais  first  popularized  the  works  of  those  writers  in  this 
country ;  Maximilian  Misson,  author  of  A  New  Voyage  to 
Italy,  Tlieatre  Sacre  des  Cevennes,  and  other  works ;  Michel 
de  la  Roche,  author  of  the  Memoirs  of  Literature,  and  A  Lit- 
erary Journal,  which  filled  up  a  considerable  gap  in  literary 
history  ;*  Michel  Maittaire,  M.  A.  Oxon,  one  of  the  masters  of 
Westminster  School,  an  able  philologist,  the  author  of  several 
learned  works  on  typography  as  well  as  theology  ;  De  Sou- 
ligne,  grandson  of  Du  Plessis  Mornay  (the  Huguenot  leader), 
author  oi  The  Desolation  of  France  Demonstrated,  The  Po- 
litical Mischiefs  of  Popery,  and  other  M'orks ;  John  Gagnier,  | 
the  able  Orientalist,  professor  of  Oriental  languages  at  Ox- 1 
ford  University,  and  the  author  of  many  learned  treatises  on ' 
Rabbinical  lore  and  kindred  subjects  ;  John  Cornaud  de  la 
Croze,  author  of  the  BibliotMque  Universelle,  The  Works  of 
the  Learned,  and  The  History  of  Learning  :  Abel  Boyer,  the 
annalist,  author  of  the  well-known  French  and  English  Dic- 
tionary, who  pursued  a  successful  literary  career  in  England 
for  nearly  forty  years ;  Mark  Anthony  de  la  Bastide,  author 
of  several  highly-esteemed  controversial  works ;  and  Grav- 

*  In  his  Literary  Journal  De  la  Roche  says,  "I  was  very  young  when  I 
took  refuge  in  England,  so  that  most  of  the  little  learning  I  have  got  is  of  an 
English  growth.  .  .  .  'Tis  in  this  country  I  have  learned  to  have  a  right  no- 
tion of  religion,  an  advantage  that  can  never  he  too  much  valued.  Being  a 
studious  man,  it  was  very  natural  to  me  to  write  some  books,  which  I  have 
done,  partly  in  English  and  partly  in  French,  for  the  space  of  twenty  years. 
The  only  advantage  I  have  got  by  them  is  that  they  ha^■e  not  been  unaccept- 
able, and  I  hope  I  have  done  no  dishonor  to  the  English  nation  by  those 
French  books  printed  beyond  sea,  in  which  I  undertook  to  make  om-  Enghsh 
learning  better  knowni  to  foreigners  than  it  was  before.  I  have  said  just  now 
that  I  took  refuge  in  England.  When  I  consider  the  continual  fear  I  was  in 
for  a  whole  year  of  being  discovered  and  imprisoned  to  force  me  to  abjure  the 
Protestant  religion,  and  the  great  difficulties  I  met  with  to  make  my  escape, 
I  wonder  I  have  not  been  a  stupid  man  ever  since." 


240  HUGUENOT  LITERATI. 

erol  of  Nismes,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  academy  of  that 
city,  a  poet  and  jurisconsult,  who  publislied  in  London  a  liis- 
tory  of  his  native  place,  addressed  to  "Messieurs  les  Refugies 
de  Nimes  qui  sent  etablis  dans  Londres. "  The  last  pages  of 
this  book  contain  a  touching  narrative  of  the  sufferings  of 
the  Protestants  of  Languedoc,  and  it  concludes  as  follows : 
"  We,  who  are  in  a  country  so  remote  from  our  own  only 
for  the  sake  of  God's  Word,  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ,  let  us  study  to  render  our  confession  and  our  faith 
glorious  by  discreet  and  modest  conduct,  by  an  exemplary 
life,  and  by  entire  devotion  to  the  service  of  God.  Let  us 
ever  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  the  sons  and  the  fathers  of 
martyrs.  Let  us  never  forget  this  glory,  but  strive  to  trans- 
mit it  to  our  posterity."* 

But  the  most  eminent  of  the  refugees  were  unquestionably 
the  pastors,  some  of  whom  were  men  highly  distinguished  for 
their  piety,  learning,  and  eloquence.  Such  were  Abbadie, 
considered  one  of  the  ablest  defenders  of  Christianity  in  his 
day ;  Saurin,  one  of  the  most  eloquent  of  preachers ;  Allix, 
the  learned  philologist  and  historian ;  and  Delange,  his  col- 
league ;  Pineton,  author  of  Les  Larines  de  Chcmibrim,  char- 
acterized by  Michelet  as  "  that  beautiful  but  terrible  re- 
cital;" Du  MoiiUn,  DrelincourtjMarmet,  and  many  more. 

Jacques  Abbadie  was  the  scion  of  a  distinguished  Bearn- 
ese  family.  After  completing  his  studies  at  Sedan  and  Sau- 
mur,  he  took  his  doctor's  degree  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 
While  still  a  young  man,  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of 
the  French  church  in  Berlin,  to  which  he  acceded ;  and  his 
reputation  served  to  attract  large  numbers  of  refugees  to 
that  city.  His  Treatise  on  the  Truth  of  the  Christian  Relig- 
ion greatly  increased  his  fame,  not  only  at  Berlin,  but  in 
France  and  throughout  Europe.  Madame  de  Sevigne,  though 
she  rejoiced  at  the  banishment  of  the  Huguenots,  sjDoke  of  it 
in  a  high  strain  of  panegyric  as  the  most  divine  of  all  books : 
"I  do  not  believe," she  said, "that  any  one  ever  spoke  of  re- 
*  Weiss,  p.  267. 


ABBADIE—SA  URIN.  24 1 

ligion  like  this  man !"  Even  Bussy  Rabutin,  who  scarce 
passed  for  a  believer,  said  of  it, "  "NYe  are  reading  it  now,  and 
we  think  it  the  only  book  in  the  Avorld  worth  reading."  A 
{i.'\y  years  later,  Abbadie  published  his  Tieatise  on  the  Divin- 
ity of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  so  entirely  free  from  controversial 
animus,  that  the  Roman  Catholics  of  France  even  hoped  to 
win  him  over  to  their  faith,  and  they  held  out  their  hand  tc 
help  him  within  their  pale.  But  they  onlj^  deceived  them- 
selves ;  for,  on  the  death  of  the  elector,  Abbadie,  instead  of 
returning  to  France,  accompanied  his  friend  Marshal  Schom- 
berg  to  Holland,  and  afterward  to  England,  in  the  capacity 
of  chaplain.  He  was  with  the  marshal  during  his  campaigns 
in  Ireland,  and  suffered  the  grief  of  seeing  his  benefactor  fall 
mortally  wounded  at  the  Boyne.  Returning  to  London,  Ab- 
badie became  attached  as  minister  to  the  church  of  the  Sa- 
voy, where  crowds  flocked  to  his  preaching.  While  holding 
this  position,  he  wrote  his  Art  of  Knowing  One's  Self  in 
which  he  powerfully  illustrated  the  relations  of  the  human 
conscience  to  the  duties  inculcated  by  the  Gospel.  He  also 
devoted  his  pen  to  the  cause  of  William  HI.,  and  published  his 
Defense  of  the  British  Nation  .,\\\  which  he  justified  the  deposi- 
tion of  James  H.  and  the  Revolution  of  1688  on  the  ground  of 
right  and  morality.  In  1694  he  was  selected  to  pronounce 
the  funeral  oration  of  Queen  Mary,  wife  of  William  HI. — a  ser- 
mon containing  many  passages  of  great  eloquence ;  shortly 
after  which  he  entered  the  English  Church,  and  was  appointed 
to  the  deanery.  ofKillaloe,  in  which  oftice  he  ended  his  days, 
Jacques  Saurin  was  the  greatest  of  the  Protestant  preach- 
ei'sT  He  wa^  the^^on  of  an  advocate  at  Nismes,  Avhose  three 
sons  all  took  refuge  in  England — Jacques,  the  pulpit  orator ; 
Captain  Saurin,  an  officer  in  William's  army ;  and  Louis,  some 
time  minister  of  the  French  church  in  the  Savoy,  and  after- 
ward Dean  of  St.  Patrick's,  Ardagh.*     Jacques  Saurin  was, 

*  From  him  were  lineally  descended  the  Right  Reverend  James  Saurin, 
Bishop  of  Dromore,  and  the  Honorable  WiUiam  Saurin,  Attorney  General  for 
Ireland  from  1807  to  1821. 

Q 


242  HUG  UENO  T  LIT  ERA  TI. 

in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  tempted  to  the  profession  of 
arms ;  and  when  only  seventeen  years  of  age  he  served  as  an 
ensign  in  the  army  of  Savoy,  under  the  Marqnis  de  Ruvigny, 
earl  of  Galway.  Returning  to  his  studies  at  Geneva,  he  j^re- 
pared  himself  for  the  ministry;  and  having  proceeded  to  En- 

r  gland  in  1701,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  ministers  of  the 
French  church  in  Threadneedle  Street.  He  held  that  office 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  was  called  to  the  Hague,  and 
there  developed  that  talent  as  a  preacher  for  which  he  be- 
came so  distinguished.  He  was  made  minister  extraordi- 
nary to  the  French  community  of  nobles,  and  held  that  office 
until  his  death.  "  Nothing,"  says  Weiss,  "  can  give  an  idea 
of  the  effect  produced  by  his  inspired  voice,  which  for  twen- 
ty-five years  resounded  beneath  the  vaulted  roof  of  the  tem- 
ple at  the  Hague,  unless  it  be  the  j^rofound  veneration  and 
pious  Avorship  with  which  the  memory  of  the  great  author, 
continually  revived  by  the  perusal  of  his  writings,  has  re- 
mained surrounded  in  Holland."* 

Scarcely  less  distinguished  was  Peter  Allix,  for  some  time 

\  minister  of  the  great  Protestant  church  at  Charenton,  near 
Paris,  and  afterward  of  the  temple  of  the  French  Hospital  in 
Spitalfields,  London.  His  style  of  preaching  was  less  ornate, 
but  not  less  forcible,  tjian  that  of  Saurin.  His  discourses 
were  simple,  clear,  and  persuasive.  The  great  object  at 
which  he  aimed  was  the  enforcement  of  union  among  Protest- 
ants. Louis  XIV.  tried  every  means  to  induce  him  to  enter 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  a  pension  was  offi^red  him 
if,  in  that  case,  he  would  return  to  France.  But  Allix  resist- 
ed all  persuasions,  and  died  in  exile.     His  great  erudition 

'  was  recognized  by  the  University  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
who  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  doctor  of  divinity  ; 
and,  on  the  recommendation  of  Bishop  Burnet,  he  was  made 
canon  and  treasurer  of  Salisbury  Cathedrjjl.  Allix  left  be- 
hind him  many  published  works,  which  in  their  time  were 
highly  esteemed. 

*  Weiss,  p.  397. 


JA  CU  UJ^S  riNETON.  213 

Jacques  Pineton  was  another  of  the  refugee  pastors  who 
iUustrated  his  faith  by  his  life,  whicli  was  j)ure  and  beautiful. 
He  had  personally  suffered  more  than  most  of  his  brethren, 
and  he  lived  to  relate  the  story  of  his  trials  in  his  touching 
narrative  entitled  LesLarmes  de  Chambrim.  He  was  pastor 
of  a  Protestant  church  in  the  village  of  that  name,  situated 
near  Avignon,  in  the  principality  of  Orange,  when  the  dis- 
trict was  overrun  by  the  troops  of  Louis  XIV.  The  dragon- 
nade  was  even  more  furiously  conducted  here  than  elsewhere, 
because  of  the  hatred  entertained  by  the  king  toward  the 
Protestant  prince  who  took  his  title  from  the  little  principal- 
ity. The  troops  were  under  the  command  of  the  Count  of 
Tesse,  a  ferocious  and  profane  officer.  Pineton  was  laid  up 
at  the  time  by  an  attack  of  the  gout,  the  suffisring  from  which 
was  aggravated  by  the  recent  fracture  of  a  rib  which  he  had 
sustained.  As  he  lay  helpless  on  his  couch,  a  party  of  forty- 
two  dragoons  burst  into  his  house,  entered  his  chamber,  lit  a 
number  of  candles,  beat  their  drums  round  his  bed,  and  fill- 
ed the  room  with  tobacco-smoke,  so  as  almost  to  stifle  him. 
They  then  drank  until  they  fell  asleej)  and  snored ;  but  their 
officers,  entering,  roused  them  from  their  stupor  by  laying 
about  among  them  with  their  canes.  While  the  men  were 
asleep,  Pineton  had  urged  his  wife  to  fly,  which  she  attempt- 
ed to  do,  but  Avas  taken  in  the  act  and  brought  before  Tesse, 
who  brutally  told  her  that  she  must  regard  herself  as  the 
property  of  the  regiment.  She  fell  at  his  feet  distracted,  and 
would  have  been  lost,  but  that  a  priest,  to  whom  Pineton 
had  rendered  some  service,  ofifered  himself  as  surety  for  her. 
The  priest,  however,  made  it  a  condition  that  she  and  her 
husband  should  abjure  their  religion;  and,  m  a  moment  of 
agony  and  despair,  they  succumbed.  Remorse  immediately 
followed,  and  they  determined  to  take  the  first  opportunity 
to  fly.  Upon  the  plea  that  Pineton,  still  in  great  pain,  re- 
quired surgical  aid,  he  obtained  leave  to  proceed  to  Lyons. 
He  was  placed  in  a  litter,  the  slightest  movement  of  which 
caused  him  indescribable  pain.     When  the  people  saw  him 


■2U  Jl  i  'U  UEXO  T  LITER  A  TI. 

carried  away,  they  all  wej)t,  Catholic  as  well  as  Protestant. 
Even  the  dragoons  were  moA'ed.  The  sufferer  contrived  to 
reach  Lyons,  where  he  was  soon  cured  and  convalescent.  It 
appeared  that  the  frontier  was  less  strictly  guiuded  near 
Lyons;  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  friend,  Pinet on  shortly 
after  contrived  to  escape  in  the  disguise  of  a  general  officer. 
He  set  out  in  a  carriage  with  four  horses,  attended  by  a  train 
of  servants  in  handsome  liveries.  At  the  bridge  of  Bcauvoi- 
sin,  Avhere  a  picket  of  dragoons  was  posted,  he  was  allowed 
to  cross  without  interruption,  the  soldiers  having  previously 
been  informed  that  "  my  lord"  was  a  great  officer  traveling 
express  into  Switzerland.  There  was,  hoAvever,  still  the 
frontier-guard  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy  to  pass.  It  commanded 
the  great  road  across  the  Alps,  and  was  maintained  for  the 
cxj^ress  purpose  of  preventing  the  flight  of  refugees.  By  the 
same  bold  address,  and  feigning'  gi-eat  indignation  at  the 
guard  attempting  to  obstruct  his  passage,  Pineton  was  al- 
lowed to  proceed,  and  shortly  after  reached  Chambery. 
Next  morning  he  entered  the  French  gate  of  Geneva,  giving 
expression  to  his  feelmgs  by  singing  the  eighth  verse  of  the 
twenty-sixth  Psalm — 

"Que  j'aime  ce  saint  lieu 
Ou  Tu  parois,  mon  Dieu,"  etc. 

Madame  Pineton  was  less  fortunate  in  her  flight.  She  set 
out  for  the  Swiss  frontier  accompanied  by  three  ladies  be- 
longing to  Lyons.  The  guides  Avhom  they  had  hired  and 
paid  to  conduct  them  had  the  barbarity  to  desert  tlicni  in 
the  mountains.  It  was  winter.  They  wandered  and  lost 
their  way.  They  Avere  nine  hours  in  the  snow.  They  Avere 
driven  away  from  Cardon,  and  were  pursued  along  the 
Rhone.  The  Lyons  ladies,  vanquished  by  cold,  fatigue,  and 
hunger,  wished  to  return  to  Lyons  and  give  themselves  \\\> ; 
they  could  endure  no  longer.  But  Madame  Pineton  hoped 
that  by  tliis  time  her  husband  liad  reached  Geneva,  and  she 
found  courage  for  them  all.  Slie  Avould  not  listen  to  tlie  pro- 
posal to  go  back;  she  must  go  forward;  and  the  contest 


OXFORD  GRADUATES. 


ended  in  their  proceeding,  and  arriving  at  last  at  Geneva, 
and  finding  there  safety  and  liberty. 

The  2^astor  Pineton,  after  remaining  for  a  short  time  in 
that  city,  proceeded  toward  Holland,  where  he  was  gracious- 
ly received  by  the  Prince  of  Orange.  Having  been  ajjpointed 
one  of  the  princess's  chaplains,  he  accompanied  Mary  to  Lon- 
don, and  was  appomted  a  canon  of  Windsor.  He  did  not, 
however,  live  long  to  enjoy  that  dignity,  for  he  died  in  1689, 
the  year  after  his  arrival  in  England,  though  he  lived  to 
give  to  the  world  the  touching  narrative  of  his  adventures 
and  sufferings.* 

Many  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  French  pastors  were 
admitted  to  degrees  in  the  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge,! ^i^cl  several,  besides  the  above,  held  benefices  m  the 

*  Those  who  would  know  the  whole  details  of  this  exciting  story  must  refer 
to  Les  Larines  de  Jacques  Pineton  de  C'hambrun,  qui  contiennent  les  Persecu- 
tions arrivees  aux  Eglises  de  la  Principautc  d'Orange  depuis  1660,  la  chute 
et  le  reUvement  de  rAuteur,  avec  le  retahlissement  de  S.  Pierre  en  son  Apos- 
tolat  stir  les  Paroles  de  notre  Seigneur  Jesus  Christ,  selon  S.  Jean,  xxi.  14, 
recently  republished  at  Paris  by  Meyrueis. 

t  Among  the  learned  foreigners  mentioned  by  Anthony  Wood,  in  his  Athe- 
na Oxoniensis,  as  having  been  admitted  to  the  University  of  Oxford  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  their  learning,  may  be  named  the  following  : 
1625.  John  Verneuil,  M.A.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  University  of  Montau- 

ban). 
1G25-6.  Thomas  Levet,  Bachelor  of  Ci\il  Law,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Orleans). 
1638.  Daniel  Brevint,  I\I.  A.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  University  of  Saumur). 
1648-9.  Abraham   Ktuard,  M.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the   University   of 

Caen). 
1649.  Louis  du  Moulin,  M.D.,  Oxford  and  Cambridge  (son  of  the  French 
Protestant  pastor  Pierre  du  Mouliii,  and  educated  at  the  Universi- 
ty of  Leyden). 

1655.  Ludovic  de  Lambermont,  M.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  University 

of  Valence). 

1656.  Pierre  du  ilouJin,  D.D.,  Oxford  and  Cambridge  (brother  of  the  above- 

mentioned  Louis). 

1656-7.  Theophilus  de  Garencieres,  M.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  Universi- 
ty of  Caen). 

1656,  Pierre  Vasson,  M.B.,  Oxford. 

1656-7.  Abraham  Conyard,  Bachelor  of  Dignity,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the 
University  of  Rouen). 

1676.  Stephen  le  Moine,  D.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  Eouen,  and  subsequently 
Professor  of  Theology  at  Leyden). 

1682-3.  Samuel  de  I'Angle,  D.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  Rouen  and  Paris). 

1685.  James  le  Prix,  D.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the 
University  of  Saumur). 


24G  HUGUENOT  LITERATI. 

English  Church.  lu  1682,  when  the  learned  Samuel  cle  1' An- 
gle was  created  D.D.  of  Oxford  without  payment  of  the  cus- 
tomary fees,  he  was  conducted  into  the  House  of  Convocation 
by  the  king's  professor  of  divinity,  and  all  the  masters  stood 
up  to  receive  him.  De  1' Angle  had  been  the  chief  jireacher 
in  the  church  of  Charenton,  near  Paris ;  and  after  thirty-five 
years  of  zealous  work  there,  he  fled  from  France  with  his 
family  to  end  his  days  in  England.  He  was  afterward  made 
Prebendary  of  Canterbury  and  Westminster.  Peter  Drelin- 
court,  son  of  the  famous  French  divine,  whose  work  on 
Death*  has  been  translated  into  nearly  all  the  languages  of 
Europe,  was  another  refugee  who  entered  the  Church,  and 
became  Dean  of  Armagh  ;  and  Dr.  Hans  de  Veille,  a  man  of 
great  learning,  having  also  entered  the  Church,  was  made  li- 
brary-keeper at  Lambeth  Palace  by  Di\  Tillotson,  then  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury. 

Though  many  of  the  most  eminent  French  ministei's  joined 
the  Established  Church  of  England,  others  equally  learned 
and  able  became  preachers  and  professors  among  the  Dis- 
senters. While  Pierre  du  Moulin  was  a  Prebendary  of  Can- 
terbury, his  brother  Louis  was  a  stout  Presbyterian.  Charles 
Marie  du  Veil,  originally  a  Jew,  was  first  converted  to  Ro- 
man Catholicism,  next  to  Protestantism,  and  ended  by  be- 
coming a  Baptist  minister.  But  the  most  eminent  of  the  ref- 
ugees who  joined  the  Dissenters  was  the  Reverend  James 
Capell,  who  had  held  the  professorship  of  Hebrew  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Saumur  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen.     He  fled  into 

1G86.  Ilene  Bertheau,  D.D.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  University  of  iMonti)el- 
lier). 

1686-7.  James  d'Allemagne,  D.D.,  Oxford  (a  French  minister  of  the  Prot- 
estant Church). 

1687.  Elias  Boherel,  Bachelor  of  Cinl  Law,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Saumur). 

1689.  John  Mesnard,  D.I).,  Oxford  (formerly  minister  of  Charenton,  and  sub- 
sequently chaplain  to  William  III.). 

1689.  John  Deffr.ay,  M.  A.,  Oxford  (formerly  of  the  University  of  Saumur), 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 
*  Les  Consolations  de  rAmeJideUe  contre  les  Frai/eurs  de  la  Mort  has  been 

printed  more  than  forty  times  in  French,  and  many  times  in  England  in  its 

translated  form. 


7JiyiSTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES.  247 

England  shortly  aftec  the  ReA'ocation,  and  m  1708  he  accept- 
ed a  professor's  chair  at  the  Dissenters'  College  in  Hoxton 
Square.  There  he  long  continued  to  teach  the  Oriental  lan- 
guages and  their  critical  application  in  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  he  performed  his  duties  with  such  distin- 
guished ability  that  the  institution  came  to  enjoy  a  very 
high  repute.  Many  of  the  ablest  ministers  of  the  next  gen- 
eration, churchmen  as  well  as  dissenters,  studied  under  Mr, 
Capell,  and  received  from  him  their  best  education.  He  held 
the  office  for  fourteen  years,  and  died  at  eighty-three,  the  last 
of  his  family. 

Of  the  ministers  of  the  French  churches  in  London,  besides 
those  already  named,  the  most  distinguished  were  the  Rev- 
erend Charles  Bertheau,  minister  of  the  French  church  in 
Threadneedle  Street,  who  officiated  in  that  capacity  Avith 
great  ability  for  a  period  of  forty-six  years ;  the  Reverend 
Henri  Chatelain,  minister  of  the  French  church  in  St.  Martin's 
Lane  ;*  the  Reverend  Coesar  Pegorier,  minister  of  the  Artil- 
lery and  the  Tabei-nacle  churches,  and  author  of  numerous 
controversial  works ;  the  Reverend  Henri  Rochblave,  minis- 
ter of  the  refugee  church  at  Greenwich,  and  afterward  of  the 
French  Chapel  Royal,  St,  James's ;  the  Reverend  Daniel  Cha- 
mier,  minister  of  the  French  church  in  Leicester  Fields ;  and 
the  Reverend  Jean  Graverol,  minister  of  the  French  churches 
of  Swallow  Street  and  the  Quarre,  a  voluminous  and  eloquent 
writer.  The  Reverend  Antoine  Peres  (formerly  professor  of 
Oriental  languages  in  the  University  of  Montauban)  and  Eze- 
kiel  Marmet  were  ministers  of  other  French  churches,  and 
were  greatly  beloved — Marmet's  book  of  meditations  on  the 
words  of  Job,  '*  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  being 
prized  by  devout  readers  of  all  persuasions. 

*  Henri  Chatelain  was  the  gi-eat-grandson  of  Simon  Chatelain,  the  famous 
Protestant  manufacturer  of  gold  and  silver  lace.  This  lace  was  a  much- 
prized  article.  It  procured  for  the  steadfest  Huguenot  the  toleration  of  his 
religion,  in  which  he  was  zealous  from  the  fifteenth  year  of  his  age  to  the 
eighty-fifth,  which  was  his  last.  He  died  in  107."),  leaving  more  than  eighty 
descendants,  who  all  paid  fines  for  openly  attending  his  funeral. — Agnew — 
French  Protestant  Exiles,  237. 


U8  BUG  UENO  T  LITERA  TI. 

The  Reverend  Claude  de  la  Mothe  aud  Jean  Armaud  du 
Bourdieu  were  ministers  of  the  French  church  in  the  Savoy, 
the  principal  West-end  congregation,  frequented  by  the  most 
distinguished  of  the  refugees.  Both  these  ministers  were 
eminent  for  their  learning  and  their  eloquence.  The  former 
was  of  a  noble  Huguenot  family  named  Grostete,  and  studied 
law  when  a  youth  at  Orleans,  his  native  city,  where  he  took 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Civil  Law.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  Berlin.  He  practiced  for  some  time 
at  Paris  as  an  advocate,  but  subsequently  changed  law  for 
divinity,  and  was  apj^ointed  pastor  of  the  church  at  Lisy  in 
1675.  At  the  Revocation  he  fled  to  England  with  his  wife, 
and  was  appointed  one  of  the  ministers  of  the  church  in  the 
Savoy.  He  was  the  author  of  numerous  works,  which  en- 
joyed a  high  reputation  in  their  day,  and,  besides,  devotea 
much  of  his  spare  time  to  correspondence,  with  the  object  of 
obtaining  the  release  of  Protestant  martyrs  from  the  French 
galleys. 

Jean  Armand  du  Bourdieu,  the  colleague  of  De  la  Mothe, 
though  celebrated  as  a  preacher,  was  still  more  distinguished 
as  an  author.  Like  himself,  his  father  was  a  refugee  divine, 
and  preached  in  London  until  his  ninety-fifth  year.  Jean 
Armand  had  been  pastor  of  a  church  at  Montpellier,  which 
he  left  on  the  Revocation,  and  came  into  England,  followed 
by  a  large  number  of  his  flock.  He  was  chaplain  to  the 
three  dukes  of  Schomberg  in  succession,  and  Avas  by  the  old 
duke's  side  when  he  fell  at  the  Boyne.  In  1707  he  preach- 
ed a  sermon  in  London,  which  was  afterward  published, 
wherein  he  alluded  to  Louis  XIV.  as  a  Pharaoh  to  the  op- 
pressed Protestants  of  France.  The  French  king  singled  him 
out  from  the  many  refugee  preachers  in  England,  and  demand- 
ed, through  his  minister,  that  he  should  be  punished.  Louis's 
complaint  was  formally  referred  to  the  Bishop  of  London — 
the  French  church  in  the  Savoy  being  under  his  jurisdiction — 
and  Du  Bourdieu  was  summoned  before  his  grace  at  Fulham 
Palace  to  answer  the  charge.    After  readino-  and  considering 


ARMAND  DU  BOURDIEU.  249 

the  memorial  of  the  French  embassador,  the  pastor  was  ask- 
ed what  he  had  to  say  to  it.  He  replied  that  "  during  the 
war  he  had,  after  the  example  of  several  prelates  and  clergy- 
men of  the  Church  of  England,  preached  freely  against  the 
common  enemy  and  persecutor  of  the  Church  ;  and  the  great- 
est jDart  of  his  sermons  being  printed  with  his  name  affixed, 
Jhe  was  far  from  disowning  them  ;  but  since  the  proclamation 
of  peace  [of  Utrecht],  he  had  not  said  any  thing  that  did  in 
the  least  regard  the  Frencli  king."  No  farther  steps  were 
taken  in  the  matter. 

Du  Bourdieu  continued  indefatigably  active  on  behalf  of 
his  oppressed  brethren  in  France  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  His  pen  was  seldom  idle,  and  his  winged  words  flew 
abroad  and  kept  alive  the  indignation  of  the  Protestant 
north  against  the  persecutors  of  his  countrymen.  In  1717  he 
published  two  works,  one  "  A  Vindication  of  our  Martyrs  at 
the  Galleys ;"  another,  "  A  Comparison  of  the  Penal  LaAvs.of 
France  against  Protestants  with  those  of  England  against 
Papists ;"  and,  in  the  following  yeai-,  "■  An  Appeal  to  the  En- 
glish Nation."  He  was  now  an  old  man  of  seventy;  but  his 
fire  burned  bright  until  the  last.  Two  years  later  he  died, 
beloved  and  lamented  by  all  who  knev.-  him.* 

There  is  little  reason  to  doubt  that  the  earnestness,  elo- 
quence, and  learning  of  this  distinguished  band  of  exiles  for 
conscience'  sake  exercised  an  influence  not  only  on  English 
religion  and  politics,  but  also  on  English  literature,  which 
continues  to  operate  until  this  day. 

*  A  great-grandson  of  Du  Bourdieu,  Captain  Saumarez  Dubourdien,  was 
an  officer  in  the  British  army  at  the  capture  of  Martinitpie  from  the  French 
in  1 762,  and  received  the  sword  of  the  French  commandant,  who  said,  on 
presenting  it,  "My  misfortune  is  the  li^rhter.  as  I  am  concjuered  by  a  Du- 
bourdieu,  a  beloved  relative.     My  name  is  IJubom-dieu !" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HUGUENOT    SETTLEMENTS    IN    ENGLAND. — MEN    OF    INDUSTRY. 

We  now  come  to  the  immigration  and  settlement  in  En- 
gland of  Huguenot  merchants,  manufacturers,  and  artisans, 
which  exercised  a  still  greater  influence  on  English  industry 
than  the  immigration  of  French  literati  and  divines  did 
upon  English  literature. 

It  is  computed  that  about  100,000  French  manufacturers 
and  workmen  fled  into  England  in  consequence  of  the  Revo- 
cation, besides  those  who  took  refuge  in  Switzerland,  Ger- 
many, and  Holland.     When  the  Huguenot  employers  shut  up 
their  works  in  France,  their  men  usually  prepared  to  follow 
them.     They  converted  what  they  could  into  money,  Avhat- 
ever  the  loss  might  be,  and  made  for  the  coast,  accompanied 
by  their  families.     The  paper-makers  of  Angoumois  left  their 
mills ;  the  silk-makers  of  Touraine  left  their  looms,  and  the 
tanners  their  pits ;  the  vine-dressers  and  farmers  of  Saint- 
onge,  Poitou,  and  La  Rochelle  left   their   vineyards,  their 
farms,  and  their  gardens,  and  looked  out  into  the  wide  Avorld, 
seaward,  for  a  ncAv  home  and  a  refuge,  where  they  might 
work  and  worship  in  peace. 
,1       The   principal  emigration   into  England  was   from  Nor- 
!   mandy*  and  Brittany.     Upward  of  10,000  of  the  industrial 
'    class  left  Rouen ;  and  several  thousand  persons,  prhicipally 
engaged  in  the  maritime  trade,  set  out  from  Caen,  leaving 
that  city  to  solitude  and  poverty.     The  whole  Protestant 
I'  population  of  Coutances  emigrated,  and  fine  linen  manufac- 
';  tures  of  the  place  were  at  once  extinguished.     There  Avas  a 
similar  flight   of  masters   and  men  from  Elbopuf,  Alen^on, 

*  Floquet,  the  accredited  historian  of  Nomiandy  (Ilistoirc  ihi  Parlcmciil 
de  Noj-)iiandic),  calculates  that  not  less  than  184,000  Protestants  took  advan- 
tage of  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and  of  their  connection  with  England  and  Hol- 
land, to  abandon  their  country. 


HUGUENOT  FUGITIVES.  251 

Caudebec,  Havre,  and  other  northern  towns.  The  makers  of 
noyal  and  white  linen  cloths,  for  which  a  ready  market  had 
been  obtained  abroad,  left  Nantes,  Rennes,  and  Morlaix  in 
Brittany,  and  Le  Mans  and  Laval  in  Maine,  and  went  over  to 
England  to  carry  on  their  manufactures  there.  The  prov- 
inces farther  north  also  contributed  largely  to  swell  the 
stream  of  emigration  into  England  :  the  cloth-makers  depart- 
ed from  Amiens,  Abbeville,  and  Doullens ;  the  gauze-makers 
and  lace-makers  from  Lille  and  Valenciennes ;  and  artisans 
of  all  kinds  from  the  various  towns  and  cities  of  the  interior. 

Notwithstanding  the  precautions  taken  by  the  French 
government,  and  the  penalty  of  death,  or  the  galleys  for  life, 
to  which  those  were  subject  who  were  taken  in  the  act  of 
flight,  the  emigration  could  not  be  stopped.  The  fugitives 
were  helped  on  their  way  by  their  fellow-Protestants,  and 
often  by  the  Roman  Catholics  themselves,  who  pitied  their 
sad  fate.  The  fugitives  lay  concealed  in  barns  and  farm- 
yards by  day,  and  traveled  by  night  toward  the  coast. 
There  the  maritime  population,  many  of  whom  were  Prot- 
estants like  themselves,  actively  connived  at  their  escape. 
France  presented  too  wide  a  reach  of  sea-frontier,  extending 
from  Bayonne  to  Calais,  to  be  effectively  watched  by  any 
guard,  and  not  only  the  French,  but  the  English  and  Dutch 
merchant  -  ships,  which  hovered  about  the  coast  waiting  for 
the  agreed  signal  to  put  in  and  take  on  board  their  freight 
of  fugitives,  had  usually  little  difficulty  in  carrying  them  off" 
in  safety. 

Of  those  fugitives  who  succeeded  in  making  good  their  es- 
cape, the  richest  took  refuge  in  Holland,  while  the  bulk  of 
those  who  settled  in  England  were  persons  of  comparatively 
small  means.  Yet  a  considerable  sum  of  ready  money  must 
have  been  brought  by  the  refugees,  as  we  find  the  French 
embassador  writing  to  Louis  XIV.  in  1687  that  as  much  as 
960,000  louis  d'ors  had  already  been  sent  to  the  Mint  for  con- 
version into  English  money.*     This  was,  however,  the  prop- 

*  Many  of  the  refugees  were  eminent  merchants  and  manufacturers,  and  did 


252  IIUaUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

ei'ty  of  a  comparatively  small  number  of  the  more  wealthy 
families,  for  the  greater  proportion  of  those  who  landed  in 
Eno-land  were  altosrether  destitute. 

Steps  were  immediately  taken  for  the  relief  of  the  poorer 
immigrants.  Collections  were  made  in  the  churches;  pub- 
lic subscriptions  were  raised ;  and  Parliament  voted  consid- 
erable sums  from  the  public  purse.  Thus  a  fund  of  nearly 
£200,000  was  collected,  and  invested  for  the  benefit  of  the 
refugees — the  annual  interest,  about  £15,000,  being  intrusted 
to  a  committee  for  distribution  among  the  most  necessitous, 
while  about  £2000  a  year  was  applied  toward  the  support 
of  the  poor  French  ministers  and  their  respective  churches. 
The  pressure  on  the  relief  fund  was  of  course  the  greatest 
in  those  years  immediately  following  the  Revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes,  before  the  destitute  foreigners  had  been 
able  to  maintain  themselves  by  their  respective  callings. 
There  was  also  a  large  number  of  destitute  landed  gentry, 
professional  men,  and  pastors,  to  whom  the  earnings  of  a 
livelihood  was  even  more  difficult ;  and  these  also  had  to  be 
relieved  out  of  the  fund. 

From  the  first  report  of  the  French  Relief  Committee,  dat- 
ed December,  1687 — that  is,  only  fourteen  months  after  the 
Revocation  —  it  appears  that  15,500  refugees  had  been  re- 
lieved in  the  course  of  the  year.  "Of  these,"  says  Weiss, 
"13,050  were  settled  in  London,  and  2000  in  the  different 
sea-port  towns  Avhere  they  had  disembarked.  Among  them 
the  committee  distinguishes  140  persons  of  quality  witli  their 
families  ;  143  ministers ;  144  lawyers,  physicians,  traders,  and 
burghers.  It  designates  the  others  under  tlie  general  denom- 
ination of  artisans  and  workmen.  The  persons  of  quality  re- 
ceived weekly  assistance  in  money  throughout  the  whole  of 
that  year.     Their  sons  Avere  j^laced  in  the  best  commercial 

undoubtedly  bring  along  with  tliem  much  money  and  cft'ects.  I  have  seen  a 
computation,  at  the  lowest  supposition,  of  only  HO, 000  of  those  people  coming 
to  Great  Britain,  and  that,  one  with  another,  they  brought  £C>()  each  in  mon- 
ey or  elVects,  whereby  they  added  three  millions  sterling  to  the  wealth  of 
Britain. — Macphekson — Annals  of  Commerce,  ii.,  617. 


THE  REFUGEES  GENEROUSLY  HELPED.  253 

houses.  About  150  of  them  entered  the  army,  and  were  pro- 
vided, at  the  cost  of  the  committee,  with  a  complete  outfit. 
The  ministers  obtained  for  themselves  and  their  families  pen- 
sions Avhich  were  regularly  paid.  Their  sons  found  employ- 
ment in  the  houses  of  rich  merchants  or  of  persons  of  quali- 
ty. Weekly  assistance  was  granted  to  the  sick,  and  to  those 
whose  great  age  prevented  them  earning  their  own  living  by 
labor.  The  greater  part  of  the  artisans  and  workmen  were 
employed  in  the  English  manufactories.  The  committee 
supplied  them  with  the  necessary  implements  and  tools,  and 
})rovided,  at  the  same  time,  for  all  their  other  wants.  Six 
hundred  of  them,  for  whom  it  could  not  find  employment  in 
England,  were  sent  at  its  cost  to  America.  Fifteen  French 
churches  were  erected  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  national 
subscription  —  three  in  London,  and  twelve  in  the  various 
counties  where  the  greater  number  of  the  refugees  had  set- 
tled."* 

The  help  thus  generously  given  to  the  distressed  refugees 
by  the  nation  Avas  very  shortly  rendered  in  a  great  measure 
unnecessary  by  the  vigorous  efforts  which  they  made  to  help 
themselves. f     They  sought  about  in  all  directions  for  em- 

*  Weiss — History  of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees,  p.  224. 

+  The  emigration  from  France,  however,  did  not  come  to  an  end  until  about 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Every  renval  of  religious  persecution 
there  was  followed  by  a  fresh  influx  of  fugitives  into  England.  In  1718,  the 
Rev.  J.  A.  Dubourdieu,  one  of  the  ministers  of  the  Savoy  church,  published 
An  Appeal  to  the  English  Nation,  in  vindication  of  the  body  of  the  French 
Protestants  against  the  calumnies  of  one  Mallard  and  his  associates,  as  to  the 
alleged  misapplication  of  the  national  bounty.  It  appears  that  the  number 
of  poor  foreign  Protestants  relieved  out  of  "the  fund  in  that  year  was  .5194. 
M.  Dubourdieu  says,  "  There  are  some  among  the  refugees  ^\'ho,  having  been 
over  here  twenty  or  thirty  years,  have  by  their  industiy  and  la1)or  maintained 
themselves  without  being  burdensome  to  any  one ;  others  who,  not  being  bred 
to  work  for  their  living,  brouglit  over  a  small  matter  with  them,  and  spent  it 
by  degrees.  Both  these,  being  overcome  by  age  and  infirmities,  and  incapa- 
ble of  doing  any  thing  for  themselves,  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  this 
beneficence.  The  number  of  these  is  certainly  very  gi-eat,  and  is  farther  in- 
creased by  those  that  come  daily  from  France,  more  especially  since  the  last 
peace ;  these  come  destitute  of  every  thing.  Thei'e  are  persons  of  all  ages 
and  degi-ees  among  them.  The  old  and  infirm  persons  must  be  reUeved ; 
and  as  for  those  that  are  young  and  in  a  condition  to  work,  they  want  some 
assistance  to  put  them  forward,  and  enable  them  to  get  their  livelihood  some 
way  or  other."     It  is  farther  incidentally  mentioned  that  "there  are  80  n.in- 


254  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

ployment,  and  being  ingenious,  intelligent,  and  industrious, 
they  gradually  succeeded  in  obtaining  it.  They  were  satis- 
fied with  small  gains,  provided  they  were  honestly  come  by. 
French  work-people  are  better  economists  than  English,  and 
less  sufficed  for  their  wants.  They  were  satisfied  if  they 
could  keep  a  roof  over  their  heads,  a  clean  fireside,  and  the 
pot-au-feu  going.  Wliat  English  artisans  despised  as  food, 
they  could  make  a  meal  of  For  they  brought  with  them 
from  France  the  art  of  cooking — the  art  of  economizing  nu- 
triment and  at  the  same  time  presenting  it  in  the  most  sa- 
vory forms  —  an  art  almost  entirely  unknown  even  at  this 
day  in  the  homes  of  English  workmen,  and  a  source  of  enor- 
mous national  Avaste.  Before  the  arrival  of  the  refugees,  the 
London  butchers  sold  their  bullocks'  hides  to  the  fellmongers, 
always  with  the  tails  on.  The  tails  were  thrown  away  and 
wasted.  Wlio  would  ever  dream  of  eating  ox-tails  ?  The 
refugees  profited  by  the  delusion.  They  obtained  the  tails, 
enriched  thQiv  230ts-au-feu  with  them,  and  reveled  in  the  now 
well-known  delicacy  of  ox-tail  soup. 

The  refugees  were  also  very  helpful  of  one  another.  The 
richer  helj)ed  the  poorer,  and  the  poor  helped  each  other. 
The  Marquis  de  Ruvigny  almost  kept  open  house,  and  Avas 
equally  ready  to  open  his  j^urse  to  his  distressed  countrymen. 
Those  who  had  the  means  of  starting  manufactories  and 
workshops  employed  as  many  hands  as  they  could ;  and  the 
men  who  earned  wages  helped  to  support  those  who  remained 
unemployed.  Being  of  foreign  birth,  and  having  no  claim 
upon  the  jDOor-rates,  the  French  artisans  formed  themselves 
into  societies  for  mutual  relief  in  sickness  and  old  age.  These 
were  the  first  societies  of  the  kind  established  by  workmen 

istevs  who,  with  their  families,  are  partakers  of  the  charity,  besides  00  minis- 
ters' widows  who  have  a  charge  of  chilch-en. "  Farther  on.  the  writer  says : 
"There  are  but  two  French  chm"chcs  in  tliis  city  [London]  that  are  able  to 
give  £100  a  year  to  their  ministers,  and  but  four  in  all  that  can  maintain  the 
ministry  witiiout  some  allowance  out  of  the  royal  benefaction."  At  the  head 
of  the  French  committee  were,  it  is  stated,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and 
the  Bisho])  of  London.  The  total  number  of  "French  refugees"  M.  Diibour- 
dieu  then  estimated  at  "  near  100,000  persons  in  the  two  I.ingdoms," 


' '  PETTY  FRANCE. " 


in  England,  though  they  have  since  been  largely  imitated  ;* 
and  the  Odd  Fellows,  Foresters,  and  numerous  other  benefit 
societies  of  the  laboring  class,  though  they  may  not  know  it, 
are  but  following  in  the  path  long  since  tracked  out  for  them 
by  tlie  French  refugees. 

The  working-class  immigrants  very  soon  settled  down  to 
the  practice  of  their  respective  callings  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.     A  large  proportion  of  them  settled  in  London, 
and  several  districts  of  the  metropolis  were  almost  entirely 
occupied  by  them.    Spitalfields,  Bethnal  Green,  and  Soho  were 
the  principal  French  quarters,  where  French  was  spoken  in 
the  Avorkshops,  in  the  schools  and  churches,  and  in  the  streets. 
But  the  immigrants  distributed  themselves  in  other  districts, 
many  of  them  settling  in  Aldgate,  Bishopsgate,  Shoreditch, 
and  the  qiiarter  adjoining  Thames  Street.     A  little  colony  of 
them  settled  in  one  of  the  sti'eets  leading  from  Broad  Street 
to  the  Guildhall,  which  came  to  be  called  "Petty  France," 
from  the  number  of  French  who  inhabited  it.     Others  settled 
in  Long  Acre,  the  Seven  Dials,  and  the  neighborhood  of  Tem- 
ple Bar.    Le  Mann,  the  famous  biscuit-maker,  opened  his  shop  Ocr-wAVt** 
and  flourished  near  the  Royal  Exchange.    Some  opened  shops  '" 
for  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  cutlery  and  mathematical 
and  surgical  instruments  in  the  Strand ;  while  others  began  ; 
the  making  of  watches,  the  fabrication  of  articles  in  gold  and!  j 
silver,  and  the  cutting  and  mounting  of  jewelry,  in  which  the  j 
French  artisans  were  then  admitted  to  be  the  most  expert  in 
Europe. 

France  had  long  been  the  leader  of  fashion,  and  all  the 
world  bought  dress  and  articles  of  vertu  at  Paris.  Colbert 
was  accustomed  to  say  that  the  fashions  were  worth  more  to 

*  One  of  the  oldest  of  the  French  benefit  societies  was  the  "Norman  Soci- 
ety" of  Bethnal  Green,  which  only  ceased  to  exist  in  18G3,  after  a  life  of  up- 
ward of  150  years.  I)o\\ti  to  the  year  1800,  the  whole  of  the  society's  ac- 
counts were  kept  in  French,  the  members  being  the  descendants  of  French 
Protestants,  mostly  bearing  French  names  ;  but  at  length  the  foreign  ele- 
ment became  so  mixed  with  the  English  that  it  almost  ceased  to  be  recogniz- 
able, and  the  society  may  be  said  to  have  died  out  with  the  absorption  of  the 
distinctive  class  for  whose  benefit  it  was  originally  instituted. 


256  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

France  than  the  mines  of  Pei'u  were  to  Spain.  Only  articles 
of  French  manufacture,  with  a  French  name,  could  find  piir- 
chasers  among  people  of  fashion  in  London.  "  The  fondness 
of  the  nation  for  French  commodities  was  such,"  said  Joshua 
Gee, "  that  it  was  a  very  hard  matter  to  bring  them  into  love 
with  those  made  at  home."*  Another  writer,  Mr,  Samuel 
Fortrey,  describing  the  international  trade  between  England 
and  France  in  1663,  set  forth  the  great  disadvantages  at 
which  the  English  manufacturers  were  then  placed,  and  hoAV 
seriously  the  balance  of  trade  was  against  England.  Goods 
to  the  amount  of  above  two  and  a  half  millions  sterling  Avere 
annually  imported  from  France,  whereas  the  value  of  English 
goods  exported  thither  did  not  amount  to  a  million.  "  The 
chief  manufactures  amongst  us  at  this  day,"  said  he, "  are 
only  woollen  cloths,  woollen  stuffs  of  various  sorts,  stockings, 
ribandings,  and  perhaps  some  few  silk  stuffs,  and  some  other 
small  things,  scarce  worth  the  naming ;  and  those  already 
mentioned  are  so  decayed  and  adulterated,  that  they  are  al- 
most out  of  esteem  both  at  home  and  abroad." 

The  jirincipal  articles  imported  from  France  previous  to 
that  time  Avere  velvets  and  satins  from  Lyons;  silks  and 
taffetas  from  Tours  ;  silk  ribbons,  galloons,  laces,  gloves,  and 
buttons  from  Paris  and  Rouen ;  serges  from  Chalons,  Rheinis, 
Amiens,  and  various  towns  in  Picardy ;  beaver  and  felt  hats 
from  Paris,  Rouen,  and  Lyons ;  paper  of  all  sorts  from  Au- 
vergnc,  Poitou,  Limousin,  Champagne,  and  Normandy  ;  iron- 
mongery and  cutlery  from  Forrests,  Auvergne ;  linen  cloth 
from  Brittany  and  Normandy ;  salt  from  Rochelle  and  Oleron, 
Isle  of  Rhe ;  wines  from  Gascony,  Nantes,  and  Bordeaux ;  and 
feathers,  fans,  girdles,  pins,  needles,  combs,  soap,  aquavitse, 
vinegar,  and  various  sorts  of  household  stuffs,  from  different 
parts  of  France.f 

*  Joshua  Gee— 77(e  Trade  and  Navigation  of  Great  Britain  considered. 

t  Tlie  following  are  the  items  as  given  by  Mr.  Fortrey  in  his  Account  of 
Trade  heticecn  Great  Ih-itain,  France,  Sjiain,  etc.,  IGC;) : 

Velvets,  satins,  etc.,  made  at  Lyons £150,000 

Silks,  taffetas,  and  other  articles  made  at  Tours 300,000 


FRENCH  MANUFACTURES  INTRODUCED.  257 

So  soon  as  the  French  artisans  settled  in  London,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  establish  and  cany  on  the  manufactures  which  they 
had  practiced  abroad,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  stream  of 
gold  Avliich  before  had  flowed  into  France,  now  flowed  into 
England.  They  introduced  all  the  manufactures  connected 
with  the  fashions,  so  that  English  customers  became  supplied 
with  French-made  articles  without  requiring  to  send  abroad 
money  to  buy  them;  while  the  refugees  obtained  a  ready 
sale  for  all  the  goods  they  could  make,  at  remunerative 
prices.  "  Nay,"  says  a  writer  of  the  time, "  the  English  have 
now  so  great  an  esteem  for  the  workmanship  of  the  French 
refugees,  that  hardly  any  thing  vends  without  a  Gallic 
name."*  The  French  beavers,  which  had  before  been  im- 
ported from  Caudebec  in  France,  were  now  made  in  the  bor- 
ough of  Southwark  and  at  Wandsworth,  where  several  hat- 
makei's   began   their   operations   on   a   considerable   scale.f 


Silk  ribbons,  galloons,  laces,  and  buttons,  made  at  Paris,  Rouen,  etc.  £150,000 
Serges,  made  at  C'halons,  Rlieims,  Amiens,  Crevecoeui',  and  towns 

in  Picardy 150,000" 

Beaver  and  felt  hats,  made  at  Paris,  Kouen,  and  Lyons 120,000 

Feathers,  fans,  girdles,  etc 150,000' 

Pins,  needles,  tortoise-shell  combs,  etc 20,000 

Gloves,  made  at  Paris,  Kouen,  etc 10,000 

Paper  of  all  sorts,  made  in  Auvergne,  Poitou,  Limousin,  Cham- 
pagne, and  Normandy 100,000' 

Ironmonger}'  wares,  made  in  FoiTests,  Auvergne,  etc 40, 000 

Linen  cloth,  made  in  Brittany  and  Normandy 400,000. 

Household  stuff,  such  as  beds,   mattresses,  coverlets,  hangings, 

fringes,  etc 100,000 

Wines  from  Gascony,  Nantes,  Bordeaux,  etc G00,000 

Aquavitje,  vinegar,  etc 100,000 

Soap,  honey,  almonds,  olives,  prunes,  etc 160,000 

500  or  600  vessels  of  salt  from  Rochelle,  Oleron,  Isle  of  Rhe',  etc. 
*  History  of  the  Trade  in  Emjland :  London,  1702. 

t  Hat-making  was  one  of  the  most  important  manufactures  taken  into  En- 
gland by  the  refugees.  In  Prance  it  had  been  almost  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  the  Protestants.  They  alone  possessed  the  secret  of  the  liquid  composition 
which  serves  to  prepare  rabbit,  hare,  and  beaver  skins,  and  they  alone  sup- 
plied the  trade  with  fine  Caudebec  hats  in  such  demand  in  England  and  Hol- 
land. After  the  Revocation  most  of  them  went  to  London,  taking  with  them 
the  secret  of  their  art,  which  was  lost  to  France  for  more  than  forty  years. 
It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  centurv  that  a  French  hatter 
named  jNIathieu,  after  having  long  worked  in  London,  stole  the  secret  the  ref- 
ugees had  earned  away,  took  it  back  to  his  country,  generously  communicated 
it  to  the  Paris  hatters,  and  founded  a  large  manufactory  in  the  Faubourg  St. 

R 


258  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

Others  introduced  the  manufacture  of  buttons  of  wool,  silk, 
and  metal,  which  before  had  been  made  almost  exclusively  in 
France.  The  printing  of  calicoes  was  introduced  by  a  refu- 
gee, who  established  a  manufactory  for  the  purpose  near 
Richmond.  Other  print-works  were  started  at  Bromley  in 
Essex,  from  whence  the  manufacture  was  afterward  removed 
into  Lancashire.  A  French  refugee  named  Passavant  pur- 
chased the  tapestry  manufactory  at  Fulham,  originally  estab- 
lished by  the  Walloons,  which  had  greatly  fallen  into  decay. 
His  first  attempts  at  reviving  the  manufacture  not  proving 
successful,  he  removed  the  works  to  Exeter,  and  eventually 
made  them  prosper  with  the  assistance  of  some  workmen 
whom  he  obtained  from  the  Gobelins  at  Paris. 

But  the  most  important  branch  of  manufacture  to  which 
the  refugees  dovoted  themselves,  and  in  which  they  achieved 
both  fame  and  wealth,  was  the  silk  manufacture  in  all  its 
branches.  The  silk  fabrics  of  France — its  satins,  its  brocades, 
/velvets,  padausoys,  figured  and  plain  —  were  celebrated 
throughout  the  world,  and  were  eagerly  purchased.  As 
much  as  200,000  livres  Avorth  of  black  lustrings  were  bought 
by  the  English  annually,  made  expressly  for  their  market, 
and  known  as  "  English  taffeties."  Shortly  after  the  Revo- 
cation, not  only  was  the  whole  of  this  fabric  made  in  En- 
gland, but  large  quantities  were  manufactured  for  exporta- 
tion abroad. 

The  English  government  had  long  envied  France  her  pos- 
session of  the  silk  manufacture,  which  gave  employment  to  a 
large  number  of  lier  people,  and  was  a  great  source  of  wealth 
to  the  country.  An  attempt  was  made  in  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth to  introduce  the  manufacture  in  England,  and  it  was  re- 
peated in  the  reign  of  James  I.  The  king  issued  instructions 
to  the  deputy  lieutenants  of  counties  that  they  should  re- 
quire the  landowners  to  purchase  and  plant  mulberry-trees 

Antoiiie.  Before  this  lucky  larceii}',  the  French  nobility,  and  all  persons 
making  jjretensions  to  elegance  in  dress,  wore  none  but  English  hats ;  and 
the  Roman  cardinals  themselves  got  their  hats  from  the  celebrated  manufoc- 
toi-y  at  "Wandsworth  established  by  the  refugees. — Weiss,  p.  2('>(). 


THE  SILK  MANUFACTURE.  259 

for  the  feeding  of  silkworms ;  and  he  granted  a  license  for 
twenty-one  years  to  one  "William  Stallenge  to  print  a  book 
of  instructions  for  their  guidance.*  It  appears  that  M.  de 
Verton,  Sieur  de  la  Forest,  commissioned  by  the  king,  travel- 
ed all  over  the  midland  and  eastern  counties  selling  mulber- 
ry-trees at  a  low  fixed  price  (6s.  the  hundred),  and  giving  di- 
rections as  to  their  cultivation.!  The  corporation  of  the  city 
of  London  also  encouraged  the  first  attempts  at  introducing 
the  manufacture;  and  we  find  from  their  records  that  in 
1609  they  admitted  to  the  freedom  of  the  city  one  Robert 
Therie  or  Thierry,  on  account  of  his  skill  and  invention,  and 
as  "  being  the  first  in  England  who  hath  made  stufis  of  silke, 
the  which  was  made  by  the  silk-worms  nourished  here  in  En- 
gland."j;  One  M.  Brumelach  was  also  invited  over  from 
France,  with  sundry  silk-throAvsters,  weavers,  and  dyers,  and 
thus  a  beginning  was  made  in  the  manufacture ;  but  it  was 
not  until  the  influx  of  the  Protestant  refugees  after  the  Revo- 
cation that  the  manufacture  took  root  and  began  to  flourish. 
The  workmen  of  Tours  and  Lyons  brought  with  them  the 
arts  which  had  raised  the  manufactures  of  France  to  such  a 
height  of  prosperity.  They  erected  their  looms  in  Spital- 
fields,  and  there  practiced  their  improved  modes  of  weaving 

*  Domestic  Papers.,  James  I.,  January  5,  1607.  The  book  was  entitled 
Instructions  for  the  increasing  of  mulberrie-trees  and  the  breeding  of  silke- 
ivormes  for  the  making  of  silk  in  this  kingdom,  whereunto  is  annexed  his  Maj- 
esty's letter  to  the  Lord  Lieutenants,  etc.  :  4to,  London,  1609. 

t  Doubts  seem  to  have  been  entertained  as  to  the  ability  of  the  Sieur  de  la 
Forest,  on  which  he  addressed  the  Earl  of  Salisbmy  in  a  "  remonstrance 
against  a  suspicion  of  his  ability  to  fulfill  his  contract  for  the  supply  of  mul- 
berr^'-trees. "  lie  stated  that  he  "had  in  France  a  nui'seiy  of  .oOO,000  trees," 
and  detailed  the  pains  he  had  taken  in  sending  for  them  and  inducing  the 
people  to  buy,  by  showing  them  spinners  of  silk  at  work.  Domestic  Papers, 
James  I.,  1609,  110.     The  remonstrance  is  in  French. 

X  The  coi-poration  were  not  alike  liberal  in  other  cases ;  for  we  find  them, 
in  the  same  year  in  which  they  admitted  Thieriy  a  freeman  and  citizen,  ex- 
pelling one  John  Cassell  "for  using  the  trade  or  art  of  twisting  worsted  yam 
in  Bartholomew  Within,  in  the  liberties  of  the  city,  he  being  no  freeman,  but 
a  stranger  born,  contrai-y  to  the  custom  of  the  cit}'.  It  is  therefore  thought 
fit,  and  so  ordered  by  this  court,  that  Mr.  Chamberlain  shall  forthwith  shut 
up  the  shop-windows  of  the  said  John  Cassell's  shop,  and  shall  remove  within 
a  month  all  his  goods,  funiiture,  etc.,  to  other  places,  which  he  promised  to 
do." — Corjioration  Records,  1609. 


2C0  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

— turning  out  large  quantities  of  lustrings,  velvets,  and  miu- 
Sfled  stuifs  of  silk  and  avooI,  of  such  excellence  as  to  insure 
for  them  every  where  a  ready  sale.  Weiss  says  that  the 
figured  silks  which  proceeded  from  the  London  manufac- 
tories Avere  due  almost  exclusively  to  the  skill  and  indu^stry 
of  three  refugees  —  Lanson,  Mariscot,  and  Monceaux.  The 
artist  who  supplied  the  designs  was  another  refugee  named 
Beaudoin.  A  common  Avorkman  named  Mongeorge  brought 
them  the  secret,  recently  discovered  at  Lyons,  of  giving 
lustre  to  silk  taflfeta;  and  Spitalfields  thenceforward  enjoyed 
a  large  share  of  the  trade  for  which  Lyons  had  been  so 
famous.* 

To  protect  the  English  manufactures,  the  import  duties  on 
French  silks  were  at  first  trebled.  1\\  1692,  five  years  after 
the  Revocation,  the  manufacturers  of  lustrings  and  alamode 
silks  were  incorporated  by  charter  under  the  name  of  the 
Royal  Lustring  Company ;  shortly  after  which,  they  obtained 
from  Parliament  an  act  entirely  prohibiting  the  importation 
of  foreign  goods  of  like  sorts.  Strange  to  say,  one  of  the 
grounds  on  which  they  claimed  this  degree  of  protection  was, 
that  the  manufacture  of  these  articles  in  England  had  now 
reached  a  greater  degree  of  perfection  than  was  attained  by 
forciuners — a  reason  which  ought  to  have  rendered  them  in- 
dependent  of  all  legislative  interference  in  their  favor.  Cer- 
tain it  is,  however,  that  by  the  end  of  the  century  the  French 
manufacturers  in  England  were  not  only  able  to  supply  the 
whole  of  the  English  demand,  but  to  export  considerable 
quantities  of  their  goods  to  those  countries  which  France 
had  formerly  supplied. 

One  of  the  most  remunerative  branches  of  business  was 
the  manufacture  of  silk  stockingsf,  in  which  the  English 

*  Weiss,  p.  2r)3. 

■*■  The  first  pair  of  silk  stockings  lirouglit  into  Engkand  from  Spain  was  pre- 
sented to  Henry  VIII.,  who  Iiighly  ])rizcd  them.  In  the  third  year  of  Eliza- 
beth's reign,  her  tiring-woman,  Mrs.  ]\Iontagiie,  presented  her  with  a  ]iair  of 
black  silk  stockings  as  a  New  Year's  gift ;  whereupon  her  majesty  asked  if 
she  could  have  any  more,  in  which  case  she  would  wear  no  more  cloth  stock- 
ings.    Silk  stockings  were  equally  rare  things  in  the  royal  court  of  Scotland, 


SILK  STOCKING  TRADE.  2GI 

shared  ^vitli  the  Frencli  artisans.  This  trade  was  due  to  the 
invention  of  the  stocking-frame  by  William  Lee,  M. A.,  about 
the  year  1600.  Not  being  able  to  find  any  encouragement 
for  his  invention  in  England,  he  went  over  to  Rouen  in  1605, 
on  the  invitation  of  the  French  minister  Sully,  to  instruct  the 
French  operatives  in  the  construction  and  working  of  the 
machine.  Nine  of  the  frames  were  in  full  work,  and  Lee  en- 
joyed the  prospect  of  honor  and  competency,  when,  unhap- 
pily for  him,  his  protector,  Henry  IV.,  was  assassinated  by  the 
fanatic  Ravaillac.  The  patronage  which  had  been  extended 
to  him  was  at  once  withdrawn,  on  which  Lee  proceeded  to 
Paris  to  press  his  claims  upon  the  government.  But  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  be  a  foreigner,  and,  worse  than  all,  a  Prot- 
estant ;  so  his  claims  were  disregarded,  and  he  shortly  after 
died  at  Paris  in  extreme  distress. 

Two  of  Lee's  machines  were  left  at  Rouen ;  the  rest  were 
brought  over  to  England ;  and  in  course  of  time  considerable 
improvements  were  made  in  the  invention.  The  stocking- 
trade  became  so  considerable  a  branch  of  business,  that  in 
1654  we  find  the  framework-knitters  petitioning  Oliver  Crom- 
well to  grant  them  a  charter  of  incorporation.  The  memori- 
alists set  forth  the  great  utility  of  the  knitting-frame,  its  ex- 
quisite workmanship,  and  the  value  of  the  materials  it  turned 
out.  "  Not  only,"  say  they,  "  is  it  able  to  serve  your  high- 
ness's  dominions  with  the  commodities  it  mercantably  works, 
but  also  the  neighboring  countries  round  about,  where  it  has 
gained  so  good  repute  that  the  vent  thereof  is  now  more  for- 
eign than  domestic,  and  has  drawn  covetous  eyes  upon  it,  to 
undermine  it  here,  and  to  transport  it  beyond  the  seas."*  The 

for  it  appears  that  before  James  VI.  received  the  embassadors  sent  to  con- 
gratulate him  on  his  accession  to  the  English  throne,  he  requested  one  of  the 
lords  of  his  court  to  lend  him  his  pair  of  silken  hose,  that  he  "  might  not  ap- 
pear as  a  sciiib  before  strangers." 

*  The  memorialists  refer  to  the  two  stocking-frames  of  Lee's  constructiott 
left  at  Kouen,  with  their  workmen,  and  sa}- — "  Of  the  two  which  remained  in 
France,  only  one  is  yet  sur\-iving ;  but  so  far  short  of  the  perfection  of  his 
trade  (as  it  is  used  here),  that  of  him,  or  what  can  be  done  by  him,  or  his 
means,  these  petitioners  are  in  no  apprehension  of  fear."  The  petitioners  go 
on  to  ascribe  to  Divine  Providence  the  good  fortune  that  has  hitherto  attend- 


262  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

Protcctoi"  did  not  grant  the  prayer  of  the  ft-ameAvork-knitters 
that  he  would  confer  on  them  the  monopoly  of  manufacture 
which  they  sought ;  accordingly,  when  the  French  refugees 
settled  among  us,  they  were  as  free  to  make  use  of  Lee's  in- 
A-ention  as  the  English  themselves  were.  Hence  the  manu- 
facture of  silk  hosiery  by  the  stocking-frame  shortly  became 
a  leading  branch  of  trade  in  Spitalfields,  and  English  hose 
were  in  demand  all  over  Europe.  Keysler,  the  traveler,  Avrit- 
ing  as  late  as  1730,  remarks  that  "at  Naples,  when  a  trades- 
man would  highly  recommend  his  silk  stockings,  he  invari- 
ably protests  that  they  are  right  English." 

In  a  petition  presented  to  Parliament  by  the  Weavers' 
Company  in  1713,  it  Avas  stated  that,  owing  to  the  encour- 
agement afforded  by  the  crown  and  by  divers  acts  of  the 
Legislature,  the  silk  manufacture  at  that  time  Avas  twenty 
times  greater  in  amount  than  it  had  been  in  1664;  that  all 
sorts  of  black  and  colored  silks,  gold  and  silver  stuffs,  and 
ribbons,  were  made  here  as  good  as  those  of  French  fabric ; 
that  black  silk  for  hoods  and  scarfs,  Avhich,  tAventy-five  years 
before,  Avas  all  imj^orted,  Avas  noAV  made  here  to  the  annual 
value  of  £300,000,  whereby  a  great  increase  had  been  occa- 
sioned in  the  exportation  of  woolen  and  other  manufactured 
goods  to  Turkey  and  Italy,  Avhence  the  raAv  silk  Avas  imported. 
Such,  among  others,  were  the  effects  of  the  settlement  in  Lon- 
don of  the  French  refugee  artisans. 

Although  the  manufacture  of  glass  had  been  introduced 
into  England  before  the  arrival  of  the  French  refugees,  it 
made  comparatiA'ely  small  progress  until  they  took  it  in 
hand.  The  first  glass-Avork  in  London  Avas  begun  by  a  Vene- 
tian, in  Crutched  Friars  Hall,  in  1564,  after  which  two  Flem- 

ed  tlicir  liihors,  and  congratulate  themselves  on  having  concealed  their  mys- 
tery from  "  the  nimble  spirits  of  the  French,  the  fertile  wits  of  the  Italians, 
and  the  industrious  inclination  f>f  tlie  Dutch."  Their  commercial  success, 
they  add,  "has  vindicated  our  nation  against  that  old  prover])ial  expression, 
The  stnmi/er  buys  of  the  Englishman  the  case  of  the  Fox  for  a  groat,  and 
sells  him  the  tail  again  for  a  shilling  ;  for  we  may  now  invert  the  saying,  and 
retort  that  the  Englishman  buys  silk-  of  the  stranger  for  twenty  marks,  and 
tells  him  the  same  again  for  one  hundred  pounds." 


REFUGEE  GLASS -MAKERS.  263 

ings,  driven  over  by  the  persecutions  in  the  Low  Countries, 
started  a  second  glass-work  at  Greenwich  in  1567  ;*  but  Mr. 
Pellatt,  in  his  lecture  on  the  manufacture  of  glass,  delivered 
before  the  Royal  Institution,  attributes  the  establishment  of 
the  manufacture  to  the  French  Protestant  refugees,  most  of 
the  technical  terms  still  used  in  glass-making  being  derived 
from  the  French.f  Thus  the  "  found"  is  the  melting  of  the 
materials  into  glass,  from  the  French  word  fondre.  Tlie 
"^  siege"  is  the  place  or  seat  in  which  the  crucible  stands. 
The  "  kinney"  is  the  corner  of  the  furnace,  probably  from  coin 
or  cheminee.  The  "journey,"  denoting  the  time  of  making 
glass  from  the  beginning  of  the  "  found,"  is  obviously  from 
journee.  The  "  foushart,"  or  fork  used  to  move  the  sheet 
of  glass  into  the  annealing -kiln,  is  from  fourchette.  The 
"  marmre"  is  the  slab,  formerly  of  marble,  but  now  of  iron, 
on  which  the  ball  of  hot  glass  is  rolled.  And  so  on  with 
"cullet"  (coule  —  glass  run  off,  or  broken  glass),  "pontil" 
{2)oint^e),  and  other  words  obviously  of  French  and  Flemish 
origin. 

The  first  French  glass-makers  who  came  into  England  be- 
gan their  operations  in  Savoy  House  in  the  Strand ;  but  they 

*  See  Appendix  I. — Immigration  of  Flemish  and  other  foreign  artisans  into 
England. 

t  It  appears,  from  documents  in  the  State  Paper  Office  {Dom.  EHz.,  f)th  of 
August,  1567),  that  two  refugees,  Antoine  Bequer  and  Jean  Quarre',  petitioned 
the  queen  for  permission  to  establish  works  for  the  making  of  all  such  sort  of 
table-glass  as  was  then  brought  into  England  "out  of  Burgundy,  LorrajTie, 
and  France."  They  oflered  to  pay  the  same  duties  as  were  levied  on  foreign 
glass,  and  to  bind  themselves  "to  retain  Englishmen  in  their ^emce,  and 
teach  them  the  art  of  making  glass,"  provided  only  they  were  not  required 
to  retain  more  than  were  found  needful  for  the  purpose  of  the  manufacture. 
The  privilege  sought  was  granted  by  the  queen  for  twenty -one  years;  and 
the  two  first  furnaces  were  required  to  be  erected  and  set  to  work  within  a 
year  from  the  date  of  the  grant.  Bequer  and  Quarre'  appear  to  have  com- 
menced their  operations  within  the  sti])ulated  period,  for  we  find  that  on  the 
(Jth  of  b'eptember,  l,jG8,  they  memorialized  the  cpieen  for  permission  to  cut 
M'ood  to  make  charcoal  in  Windsor  Great  Park,  and  to  convey  it  from  thence 
to  their  glass  factor}'.  This  application,  most  probably,  was  unsuccessfid,  for 
nearly  six  years  later  the  Bishop  of  Chichester  incidentally  mentions,  in  one 
of  his  letters  (2,")th  of  April,  l.")74)  to  the  Lord  Treasurer  Burghley,  that  there 
was  "  a  combination  to  rob  the  French  glass-makers ;"  and  it  would  seem  that 
they  had  established  themselves  in  Sussex,  which  in  the  16th  century  was  one 
of  the  most  wooded  counties  in  England. 


264  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

afterward  removed  into  Sussex,  because  of  the  greater  conven- 
iency  of  finding  fuel ;  and  the  art  made  such  progress  there, 
and  in  other  parts  of  England,  that  Evelyn,  in  his  Diary,  spoke 
of  the  glass  blown  in  this  country  as  being  "  of  finer  metal 
than  that  of  Murano  at  Venice."  The  Parisian  glass-makers 
were  especially  celebrated  for  the  skill  with  which  they  cast 
large  plates  for  mirrors;  and,  shortly  after  the  Revocation, 
when  a  large  number  of  these  valuable  workmen  took  refuge 
in  England,  a  branch  of  that  manufacture  was  established  by 
Abraham  Thevenart,  which  proved  highly  successful.  Other 
works  were  started  for  the  making  of  crystal,  in  which  the 
French  greatly  excelled ;  and  before  long,  not  only  Avere  they 
able  to  supply  the  home  market,  but  to  export  large  quanti- 
ties of  glass  wares  of  various  sorts  to  Holland  and  other  Eu- 
ropean countries. 

For  the  improvement  of  the  English  paper  manufacture, 
also,  we  ai'c  largely  indebted  to  the  refugees — to  the  Protest- 
ant employers  and  artisans  who  swarmed  over  to  England 
from  the  paper-mills  of  Angoumois.  Before  the  Revocation, 
the  paper  made  in  this  country  was  of  the  common  "  whitey- 
brown"  sort — coarse  and  inelegant.  All  the  best  sorts  were 
imported  from  abroad,  mostly  from  France.  But  shortly  aft- 
er the  Revocation  the  import  of  paper  ceased,  and  the  refu- 
gees were  able  to  supply  us  with  as  good  an  article  as  could 
be  bought  elsewhere.  The  first  manufactory  for  fine  pajjer 
was  established  by  the  refugees  in  London  in  1685  ;  but  oth- 
er mills  were  shortly  after  started  by  them  in  Kent — at  Maid- 
stone and  along  the  Darent — as  well  as  m  other  parts  of  En- 
gland.*    That  the  leading  workmen  employed  in  the  first  fine 

*  The  Patent  Office  records  clearly  show  the  activity  of  the  French  exiles 
in  the  province  of  invention,  in  the  numerous  jiateuts  taken  out  by  them  fur 
printing,  spinning,  weaving,  i)a])er-making,  and  other  arts.  Such  names  as 
Blondeau,  Dupin,  l)e  Cardonels,  Le  Blon,  Dncleu,  Pousset,  Gastineau,  Con- 
ran,  Paul,  etc.,  are  found  constantly  recurring  in  tlie  lists  of  j)atentees  for  many 
years  subsequent  to  the  Revocation.  In  HlSd  we  find  M.  I)n])in.  .\.  de  Car- 
donels, C.  H.  I\I.  de  Crouchy,  rl.  de  IVIay,  and  11.  Shales  taking  out  a  patent 
for  making  writing  and  jirinting  ])aper,  having  "lately  brought  out  of  Prance 
excellent  workmen,  and  already  set  uj)  several  new-invented  mills  and  engines 
for  making  thereof,  not  heretofore  nsed  in  England." — [See  Abrldcjment  oj 
Specijications  relatiiirj  to  Printing,  p.  82. |1 


THE  DE  PORTALS.  265 


paper-mills  were  French  and  Flemish  is  shown  by  the  distinc- 
tive terms  of  the  trade  still  in  use.  Thus,  in  Kent,  the  man 
who  lays  the  sheets  on  the  felts  is  the  coucher ;  the  fateman, 
or  vatman,  is  the  Flemish /"assman  /  and  the  room  where  the 
finishing  operations  are  performed  is  still  called  the  salle. 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  refugee  paper  manu- 
facturers was  Henry  de  Portal.  The  Portals  were  an  ancient 
and  noble  family  in  the  south  of  France,  of  Albigeois  descent, 
who  stood  firm  by  the  faith  of  their  fathers,  and  several  of 
them  suffered  death  rather  than  prove  recreant  to  it.  Tou- 
louse was  for  many  generations  the  home  of  the  Portals,  where 
they  held  and  exercised  the  highest  local  authority.  Several 
of  them  in  succession  were  elected  "  Capitoul,"  a  position  of 
great  dignity  and  power  in  that  city.  When  the  persecution 
of  the  Albigeois  set  in,  the  De  Portals  put  themselves  at  their 
head;  but  they  were  unable  to  make  head  against  the  tre- 
mendous power  of  the  Inquisition,  and  they  fled  from  Toulouse 
in  different  directions — some  to  Nismes,  and  others  into  the 
neighborhood  of  Bordeaux.  Some  of  them  perished  in  the 
massacres  which  occurred  throughout  France  subsequent  to 
the  night  of  the  Saint  Bartholomew  at  Paris ;  and  they  con- 
tinued to  sufier  during  the  long  century  that  ended  In  the 
Revocation,  yet  still  they  remained  constant  to  their  faith. 

When  the  reign  of  terror  under  Louis  XIV.  began  in  the 
south  of  France,  Louis  de  Portal  was  residing  at  his  Chateau 
de  la  Portalerie,  seven  leagues  from  Bordeaux.  To  escape 
the  horrors  of  the  dragonnades,  he  set  out  with  his  wife  and 
five  children  to  take  refuge  on  his  estate  in  the  Cevennes. 
The  dragoons  pursued  the  family  to  their  retreat,  overtook 
them,  cut  do^ai  the  father  and  mother  and  one  of  the  children, 
,  and  burnt  to  the  ground  the  house  in  which  they  had  taken 
refuge.  The  remaining  four  children  had  concealed  them- 
selves in  an  oven  outside  the  buildmg,  and  Avere  thus  saved. 

The  four  orphans — three  boys  and  a  girl — immediately  de- 
termined to  make  for  the  coast  and  escape  from  France  by 
sea.     After  a  long  and  perilous  journey  on  foot,  exhausted  by 


266  HUG UEyWT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

fatigue  and  wanting  food,  they  at  length  reached  Montauban, 
where  little  Pierre,  the  youngest,  fell  down  fainting  with  hun- 
ger at  the  door  of  a  baker's  shop.  The  humane  baker  took 
up  the  child,  carried  him  into  the  house,  and  fed  and  cherished 
him.  The  other  three — Henry,  William,  and  Mary  de  Portal 
— though  grieving  to  leave  their  brother  behind  tliem,  again 
set  out  on  foot,  and  pressed  forward  to  Bordeaux. 

There  they  were  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  a  passage  by  a 
merchant  vessel,  on  board  of  which  they  were  shipped  con- 
cealed in  barrels.  They  were  among  the  last  of  the  refugees 
who  escaped  previous  to  the  issue  of  the  infamous  order  to 
fumigate  all  departing  vessels,  so  as  to  stifle  any  Protestant 
fugitives  who  might  be  concealed  among  the  cargo.  The 
youthful  refugees  reached  Holland,  where  they  found  friends 
and  foster  parents,  and  were  shortly  m  a  position  to  assert  the 
dignity  of  their  birth.  Miss  Portal  succeeded  in  obtaining  a 
situation  as  governess  in  the  family  of  the  Countess  of  Fink- 
enstein,  and  afterward  married  M.  Lenomant,  a  refugee  set- 
tled at  Amsterdam ;  while  Henry  and  William  followed  the 
fortunes  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  accompanying  him  into  En- 
gland, and  establishing  the  family  of  De  Portal  in  this  coun- 
try.* 

Henry,  the  elder  brother,  having  learned  the  art  ofpaj^er- 
making,  started  a  mill  of  his  own  at  Laverstoke,  on  the  Itch- 
in,  near  Whitchurch  in  Hampshire,  where  he  achieved  high 
reputation  as  a  paper  manufacturer.  He  carried  on  his  busi- 
ness with  great  spirit,  gathering  round  him  the  best  French 
and  Dutch  Avorkmen  ;  and  he  shortly  brought  his  work  to  so 
high  a  degree  of  perfection  that  the  Bank  of  England  gave 
him  the  privilege,  Avhich  a  descendant  of  the  family  still  en- 
joys, of  supplying  them  with   the    paper  for   bank-notes. f 

*  William  entered  the  f'liurch  late  in  life.  He  was  nominated  tutor  to 
Prince  George,  afterward  (jeorge  III.,  and  held  the  livings  of  (lowne  in  Der- 
byshire, and  Farnhridge  in  Kssex.  j\hraham  I'ortal,  whose  poetic  works 
were  pnblished  in  17<S1,  was  his  grandson. 

t  William  Cohhett,  writing  in  182."),  says,  "From  this  to  Whitchurch  is  not 
more  than  about  four  miles,  and  we  soon  reached  it,  because  here  you  begin 
to  descend  into  the  vale  in  which  this  little  town  lies,  and  through  which  there 


DE  PORTAL  FAMILY.  267 

Henry  de  Portal  had  resolved  to  rebuild  the  fortunes  of  his 
house,  though  on  English  ground,  and  nobly  he  did  it  by  his 
skill,  his  integrity,  and  his  industry.  The  De  Portals  of 
Freefolk  Priors  re-established  themselves  among  the  aristo- 
cratic order  to  which  they  originally  belonged,  and  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  family  formed  alliances  with  some  of  the 
noblest  families  in  England.  The  youngest  brother,  Pierre 
de  Portal,  who  had  been  left  fainting  at  the  door  of  the  baker 
at  Montauban,  was  brought  up  to  manhood  by  the  baker, 
held  to  his  Protestantism,  and  eventually  sef  up  as  a  cloth 
manufacturer  in  France.  He  jDrospered,  married,  and  his 
sons  grew  up  around  liim,  one  of  them  eventually  becoming 
Lord  of  Penardieres.  His  grandson  Alberedes,  also  faitliful 
to  the  creed  of  his  fathers,  rose  to  high  office,  having  been  ap- 
pointed minister  of  marine  and  the  colonies,  councilor  of  state, 
and  a  peer  of  France,  at  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons, 
The  present  baron,  Pierre  Paul  Frederick  de  Portal,  main- 
tains the  ancient  reputation  of  the  family ;  and  to  his  highly 
interesting  work,  entitled  Les  Descendants  des  Alblgeois  et 
des  ITuguenots,  ou  JMemoires  de  la  Famille  de  Portal  (Paris, 
1860),  we  are  mainly  indebted  for  the  above  facts  relating  to 
the  family. 

Various  other  branches  of  manufacture  were  either  estab- 
lished or  greatly  improved  by  the  refugees.  At  Canterbury 
they  swelled  the  ranks  of  the  silk  manufacturers,  so  much  so 
that  in  1694  they  possessed  1000  looms,  giving  employment  i 

nms  that  stream  which  tunis  the  mill  of  Squire  Portal,  and  Mhieli  mill  makes 
the  Bank  of  England  note-paper.  Talk  of  the  Thames  and  the  Hudson,  with 
tlieir  forests  of  masts  ;  talk  of  the  iS'ile  and  the  Delaware  bearing  the  food  of 
millions  on  their  bosoms ;  talk  of  the  Kio  de  la  Plata  and  the  other  rivers, 
their  beds  pebbled  with  silver,  and  gold,  and  diamonds  !  What,  as  to  their 
eft'ect  on  the  condition  of  mankind — as  to  the  %"irtues,  the  vices,  the  enjoy- 
ments, and  the  sufferings  of  men — what  are  all  these  rivers  put  together  com- 
pared with  the  river  at  Whitchurch,  which  a  man  of  threescore  may  jump 
across  dry-shod,  which  moistens  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  of  poor,  rushy 

meadow and  which  is,  to  look  at  it,  of  fer  less  importance  than  any 

gutter  in  the  Wen !  Yet  this  river,  by  merely  turning  a  wheel — which  wheel 
sets  some  rag-tearers,  and  grinders,  and  washers,  and  recompressors  in  mo- 
tion— has  produced  a  greater  effect  on  the  condition  of  men  than  has  been 
produced  l)y  all  the  other  rivers,  all  the  seas,  all  the  mines,  and  all  the  conti- 
nents in  the  world." — Rural  Rides,  p.  308-9. 


2G8  HUGUENOT  SETTLEMENTS  IN  ENGLAND. 

to  nearly  3000  workmen — though,  for  the  convenience  of  the 
trade,  the  greater  number  of  them  subsequently  removed  to 
Spitalfields.  Many  of  the  immigrants  also  found  their  way 
to  Norwich,  where  they  carried  on  Avith  great  success  the 
manufacture  of  lustrings,  brocades,  paduasoys,  tabinets,  and 
velvets,  while  others  carried  on  the  making  of  cutlery,  clocks, 
and  watches.  The  fifty  years  that  followed  the  settlement 
of  the  French  refugees  in  Norwich  was  the  most  prosperous 
period  known  in  the  history  of  that  city.  Another  body  of 
refugees  settled  at  IpsAvich  in  1681,  where  they  began  the 
manufacture  of  fine  linen,  before  then  imported  from  France. 
The  elders  and  deacons  of  the  French  church  in  Threadneedle 
Street  raised  the  necessary  funds  for  their  support  until  they 
could  maintain  themselves  by  their  industry.  They  were  or- 
ganized and  superintended  by  a  refugee  from  Paris  named 
Bonhomme,*  one  of  the  most  skilled  manufacturers  in  France. 
To  the  manufacture  of  linen,  one  of  sail-cloth  was  added,  and 
England  was  shortly  enabled  entirely  to  dispense  with  any 
farther  supply  of  the  foreign-made  article. 

The  lace  manufacture,  introduced  originally  by  the  Wal- 
loon refugees,  was  also  greatly  increased  and  improved  by 
the  influx  of  Huguenot  lace-makers,  principally  from  Bur- 
gundy and  Normandy.  Some  established  themselves  in  Lon- 
don, and  others  betook  themselves  to  the  adjoining  counties, 
settling  at  Buckingham,  Newport-Pagnell,  and  Stony  Strat- 
ford, from  whence  the  manufacture  extended  into  Oxford, 
Northampton,  Cambridge,  and  the  adjoining  counties. f 

Some  of  the  exiles  went  as  for  north  as  Scotland,  and  set- 

*  In  IfiSl,  Sii\'il  wrote  from  Paris  to  Jenkins,  then  Secretaiy  of  State,  to 
annoiuico  the  aiii>roaching  departure  of  15<jnhomme  and  all  his  family,  add- 
ing, "  This  man  will  be  able  to  give  you  some  lights  into  the  method  of  bring- 
ing the  manufacture  of  sail-cloth  in  England." 

t  Speaking  of  Bedfordshire,  De  Foe,  in  his  Tour  tlirouqh  the  ir/iole  Lsland 
of  Great  Britain,  writes,  "Through  the  whole  south  part  of  this  country,  as 
far  as  the  borders  of  Buckinghamshire  and  Hertfordshire,  the  people  are  taken 
up  with  the  manufacture  of  bone-lace,  in  \\]\k-\\  they  are  wonderfully  exercised 
and  imi)roved  within  these  few  years  past,"  most  jirobably  in  consequence  of 
the  arrival  of  the  French  settlers  after  the  Kevocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 
— Mrs.  V ALLinER— Histori/  of  Lace,  p.  353. 


REFUGEE  IND  US TR  Y.  269 

tied  there.  Thus  a  colony  of  weavers  from  PicarJy,  in 
France,  began  the  manufacture  of  linen  in  a  suburb  of  Ediu- 
burg  near  the  head  of  Leith  Walk,  long  after  known  as 
"  Little  Picardy" — the  name  still  surviving  in  Picardy  Place.* 
Others  of  them  built  a  silk  factory,  and  laid  out  a  mulberry 
plantation  on  the  slope  of  Moultrie  Hill,  then  an  open  com- 
mon. The  refugees  were  sufficiently  numerous  in  Edinburg 
to  form  a  church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dupont  was  minis- 
ter;  and  William  III.,  in  1693,  granted  to  the  city  a  duty  of 
two  pennies  on  each  pint  of  ale,  out  of  which  2000  merks 
were  to  be  paid  yearly  toward  the  maintenance  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  French  congregation.  At  Glasgow,  one  of  the 
French  refugees  succeeded  in  establishing  a  paper-mill,  the 
first  in  that  part  of  Scotland.  The  Huguenot  who  erected  it 
escaped  from  France  accompanied  only  by  his  little  daughter. 
For  some  time  after  his  arrival  in  Glasgow  he  maintained 
himself  by  picking  up  rags  in  the  streets.  But,  by  dint  of 
thrift  and  diligence,  he  eventually  contrived  to  accumulate 
means  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  start  his  paper-mill,  and 
thus  to  lay  the  foundation  of  an  important  branch  of  Scottish 
industry. 

In  short,  there  was  scarcely  a  branch  of  trade  in  Great 
Britain  but  at  once  felt  the  beneficial  effects  of  the  large  in- 
ffux  of  experienced  workmen  ft-om  France.  Besides  improv- 
ing those  manufactures  which  had  already  been  established, 
they  introduced  many  entirely  new  branches  of  industry; 
and  by  their  skill  and  intelligence,  and  their  laboriousness, 
they  richly  repaid  England  for  the  hospitality  and  the  asy- 
lum which  had  been  so  generously  extended  to  them  in  their 
time  of  need. 

*  It  has  been  surmised  that  Bardie  House — a  corruption  of  Bordeaiix 
House,  near  Edinburg,  was  so  called  because  inhabited  by  another  body  of 
French  refugees  at  the  same  period.  But  tliis  is  a  mistake :  the  place  hav- 
ing been  so  called  by  the  Frenchman  who  built  the  original  house — most 
probably  one  of  the  followers  oflMary  Stuart,  on  her  coming  over  to  Scotland 
to  take  possession  of  the  Scottish  throne.  The  ^•iUage  of  "Little  France," 
near  CraigmiUar  Castle,  the  residence  of  Queen  IMary,  was  so  called  from  be- 
ing the  quarters  of  her  French  guards. 


CHAPTER  XV, 

THE    HUGUENOT   CHURCHES    IN    ENGLAND. 

The  vast  number  of  French  Protestants  who  fled  into  En- 
gland on  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  led  to  a 
large  increase  in  the  number  of  French  churches.  This  was 
especially  the  case  in  London,  which  was  the  principal  seat 
of  the  immigration.  It  may  serve  to  give  the  reader  an  idea 
of  the  large  admixture  of  Huguenot  blood  in  the  London  pop- 
ulation when  we  state  that  about  the  beginning  of  last  cen- 
tury, at  which  time  the  population  of  the  metropolis  Avas  not 
one  fourth  of  what  it  is  now,  there  were  no  fewer  than  thir- 
ty-five French  churches  in  London  and  the  suburbs.*  Of 
these,  eleven  w^ere  in  Spitalfields,  showing  the  preponderance 
of  the  French  settlers  in  that  quarter. 

The  French  church  in  Threadneedle  Street,  the  oldest  in 
London,  Avas  in  a  manner  the  cathedral  churcli  of  the  Hugue- 
nots. Thither  the  refugees  usually  repaired  on  their  arrival 
in  London,  and  such  of  them  as  had  temporarily  abjured 
their  faith  before  flying,  to  avoid  the  penalty  of  death  or  con- 
demnation to  the  galleys,  made  acknowledgment  of  their  re- 
pentance, and  were  again  received  into  membei'ship.  During 
the  years  immediately  following  the  Revocation,  the  consist- 
ory of  the  French  Church  met  at  least  once  in  every  week  in 
Threadneedle  Street  chapel  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  such 
acknowledgments  or  "  reconnaissances."  The  ministers  heard 
the  narrative  of  the  trials  of  the  refugees,  examined  their  tes- 
timony, and,  when  judged  worthy,  received  them  into  com- 
munion. At  the  sitting  of  the  5th  of  March,  1686,  fifty  fugi- 
tives from  various  provinces  of  France  abjured  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion,  to  which  they  had  pretended  to  be  convert- 

*  Mr.  Burn,  in  his  History  of  the  Foreign  Protestant  Refugees,  gives  the 
names  of  nearly  forty  French  churches  in  London  ;  hut  several  of  these  were 
old  churches  merely  translated  or  rebuilt  with  new  names. 


CHURCHES  IN  LONDON.  271 


ed;  and  at  one  of  the  sittings  in  May,  1687,  not  fewer  tlian 
497  members  were  again  received  into  the  church  which  they 
had  pretended  to  abandon.* 

While  the  church  in  Threadneedle  Street  was  thus  resort- 
ed to  by  the  Huguenot  Calvinists,  the  French  Episcopal 
church  in  the  Savoy,  opened  about  the  year  1641,  was  simi- 
larly resorted  to  by  the  foreign  Protestants  of  the  Lutheran 
persuasion.  This  was  the  fashionable  French  church  of  the 
West  End,  and  was  resorted  to  by  many  of  the  nobility,  who 
were  attracted  by  the  eloquence  of  the  preachers  who  usual- 
ly ministered  there,f  among  whom  we  recognize  the  great 
names  of  Durrel,  Severin,  Abbadie,  Saurin,  Dubourdieu,  Ma- 
jendie,  and  Durand.  There  were  also  the  following  French 
churches  in  the  western  parts  of  London :  the  chapel  of 
Marylebone,  founded  about  the  year  1656;  the  chapel,  in 
Somerset  House,  originally  granted  by  Charles  I.  to  his  queen 
Henrietta  as  a  Roman  Catholic  place  of  wor>ship,  but  which 
was  afterward  appropriated  hy  Parliament,  in  1653,  for  the 
use  of  the  French  Protestants ;  Castle  Street  Chapel,  in  Lei- 
cester Square,  erected  at  the  expense  of  the  government  in 
1672  as  a  place  of  worship  for  the  refugees  ;  the  Little  Savoy 
Chapel  in  the  Strand,  granted  for  the  same  purpose  in  1675  ; 
and  Hungerford  Chapel  in  Hungerford  3Iarket,  which  was 
opened  as  a  French  church  in  1687. 

After  the  Revolution  of  1688,  a  considerable  addition  was 
made  to  the  French  churches  at  the  West  End.  Thus  three 
new  congregations  were  formed  in  the  year  1689 — those  of 
La  Patente,  in  Soho,  first  opened  in  Berwick  Sti'eet,  from 
whence  it  w^as  afterward  removed  to  Little  Chapel  Street, 
Wardour  Street ;  Glass  House  Chapel,  Golden  Square,  from 

*  We  find  the  following  entry  relating  to  the  same  subject  in  the  Register 
of  Glass  House  Street  Chapel:  "Le  Dimanche,  13  M.ay,  1G88,  ElizaJ^eth 
Cautin  de  St.  Martin  de  Eetz,  Susanne  Cellier  et  Marie  Cellier  sa  Souer  de  la 
Rochelle  ont  fait  recognoissance  publique  au  presche  du  Matin,  I'une  pour 
avoir  este  au  Sermon  feignant  d'estre  de  I'Eglise  Eomaine,  les  autres  deux 
po""  avoir  signe  leiir  Abjuration.     Mon''-  Coutet  les  a  receues." 

t  Evelyn  mentions  his  attending  it  in  1  (U9,  the  following  entiy  appearing 
in  his  journal  of  that  year:  "In  the  aftenioon  I  went  to  the  French  church 
in  the  Savoy,  where  I  heard  M.  d'Espagne  catechize." 


272  HUGUENOT  CHURCHES  IN  EyCLAAJJ. 

whence  it  Avas  afterward  removed  to  Leicester  Fields;  and 
La  Quarre  (Episcopal)  Chapel,  originally  of  Berwick  Street, 
and  afterward  of  Little  Dean  Street,  Westminster. 

Another  important  French  church  at  the  "West  End  Avas 
that  of  Swallow  Street,  Piccadilly.*  This  congregation  had 
oriijjinally  worshiped  in  the  French  embassador's  chapel  in 
Monmouth  House,  Soho  Square,  from  whence  they  removed 
to  Swallow  Street  in  1690.  From  the  records  of  the  church, 
which  are  preserved  at  Somerset  House,  it  would  appear  that 
Swallow  Street  was  also  in  the  west  what  Threadneedle 
Street  Church  was  in  the  east  of  London — the  place  first  re- 
sorted to  by  the  refugee  Protestants  to  make  acknowledg- 
ment of  their  backslidings,  and  claim  readmission  to  church 
membership.  Hence  the  numerous  "  reconnaissances"  found 
recorded  in  the  Swallow  Street  register.  The  following  is  a 
specimen :  "  On  Friday,  the  first  day  of  the  year  1692,  Claude 
Richier,  a  refugee  from  Montpellier,  has  given  testimony  in 
presence  of  this  church  of  his  repentance  at  having  succumb- 
ed to  the  pressure  of  persecution  in  abjuring  our  holy  relig- 
ion, whicli  he  has  confirmed  by  signing  this  present  record." 
There  are  also  entries  of  conversions,  of  which  the  following 
is  an  instance :  "  On  Sunday,  the  fifth  day  of  May,  the  day  of 
Peutecoste,  Susan  Auvray,  a  native  of  Paris,  has  made  public 
abjuration  in  this  church  of  the  errors  and  superstitions  of 
Papism,  after  having  given  proofs  of  solid  instruction,  of  her 
piety  and  good  morals,  which  she  has  confirmed  by  signing 
this  record."f 

About  the  year  1700,  there  was  another  large  increase  in 
the  number  of  French  churches  in  London,  six  more  being 
added  to  those  already  specified,  namely,  L'Eglise  du  Taber- 
nacle, afterward  removed  to  Leicester  Fields  Chapel ;  the 
French  Chapel  Royal,  St.  James's ;  Les  Grecs,  in  Hog  Lane,I 

*  The  chapel  was  sold  to  Dr.  James  Anderson  in  1710,  and  is  now  used  as 
a  Scotch  chiircii. 

t  See  A))pendix,  Jier/isters  of  Frertvli  C/iurr.Iies  in  Eiif/lnnd. 

t  Hogartli  lias  given  a  representation  of  the  old  chapel  in  Hog  Lane,  in  his 
picture  of  "Noon,"  and  tlie  figure  coming  out  of  the  chapel  is  said  to  have 


S-  UB  URBA  N  FRENCH  CHUR  CUES.  273 

now  Crown  Street,  Soho  ;  Spring  Gardens  Chaj)el,  or  the  Lit- 
tle Savoy ;  La  Charenton,  in  Gvafton  Street,  Newport  Mar- 
ket ;  and  La  Tremblade,  or  West  Street  Chapel,  St.  Giles's. 
About  the  same  date,  additional  church  accommodation  was 
provided  for  the  refugees  in  the  city,  one  chaj^el  having  been 
opened  in  Blackfriars,  and  another  in  St.  Martin's  Lane,  of 
which  the  celebrated  Dr.  Allix  was  for  some  time  pastor. 
With  the  latter  chapel,  known  as  the  church  of  St.  Martin 
Oiigars,  that  of  Threadneedle  Street  was  eventually  united. 

But  the  princii^al  increase  in  the  French  churches  about 
this  time  was  in  the  eastern  parts  of  London,  where  the  refu- 
gees of  the  manufacturing  class  had  for  the  most  part  settled. 
The  large  influx  of  foi-eign  Protestants  is  strikingly  shown  by 
the  amount  of  new  chapels  required  for  their  accommodation. 
Thus,  in  Spitalfields  and  the  adjoining  districts,  we  find  the 
following :  L'Eglise  de  St.  Jean,  Swan  Fields,  Shoreditch 
(1687) ;  La  ISTouvelle  Patente,  Crispin  Street,  Spitalfields 
(1689) ;  L'Eglise  de  I'Artillerie,  Artillery  Street,  Bishopsgate 
(1691)  ;*  L'Eglise  de  Crispin  Street,  Spitalfields  (1693) ;  Pet- 
ticoat Lane  Chapel,  Spitalfields  (1694);  L'Eglise  de  Perle 
Street,  Spitalfields  (1697),  afterward  incorporated  with  Cris- 
pin Street  Chapel;  the  French  Church  of  Wapping  (1700); 
L'Eglise  de  Bell  Lane,  Spitalfields  (1700) ;  L'Eglise  de  Whel- 
er  Street,  Spitalfields  (1703),  afterward  mcorporated  with  La 
Nouvelle  Patente ;  L'Eglise  de  Swan  Fields,  Slaughter  Street, 
Shoreditch  (1721);  L'Eglise  de  I'Hopital,  afterAvard  L'Eglise 
Neuve,  Church  Street,  Spitalfields  (1 742).     Here  we  have  no 

been  a  very  good  likeness  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hen'd,  who  was  minister  there 
from  about  1727  to  1731.  This  chapel,  as  the  representative  of  the  Savoy, 
has  been  considered  as  the  mother-church  of  the  French  congregations  at  the 
West  End  of  London.  The  congi-egations  of  the  Savoy,  Les  Grecs,  and 
Spring  Gardens  were  united — the  two  former  about  1721,  and  the  latter  sub- 
sequently. The  congregation  of  La  Patente  en  Soho  was  also  united  at  a 
later  period. — Burn — History  of  Foj-eir/n  Protestant  Refugees,  114. 

*  This  church  boasted  of  some  of  the  most  eloquent  French  preachers  in 
the  metropolis.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Caisar  Pegorier,  the  first 
minister  of  the  congregation  ;  and  among  his  successors  were  Daniel  Chamier, 
Pierre  i;ival,  Joseph  de  la  Mothe,  EzekJel  Barbauld,  Jacob  Bourdillon,  all 
men  of  high  repute  in  their  time. 

s 


274  HUGUENOT  CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 


fewer  than  eleven  French  churches  opened  east  of  Bishops- 
gate  Street,  providing  accommodation  for  a  very  large  num- 
ber of  worshipers.  The  church  last  named,  L'Eglise  Neuve, 
was  probably  the  largest  of  the  French  places  of  worship  in 
London,  being  capable  of  accommodating  about  1500  persons. 
It  is  now  used  as  a  chapel  by  the  Wesleyan  Methodists, 
while  the  adjoining  church  of  the  Artillery  is  used  as  a  poor 
Jews'  synagogue. 

In  addition  to  the  French  churches  in  the  city,  at  the  West 
End,  and  in  the  Spitalfields  district,  there  were  several  thriv- 
ing; con2;reffations  in  the  suburban  districts  of  London  in 
which  the  refugees  had  settled.  One  of  the  oldest  of  these 
was  that  of  Wandsworth,  where  a  colony  of  Protestant  Wal- 
loons settled  about  the  year  1570.  Having  formed  them- 
selves into  a  congregation,  they  erected  a  chapel  for  worship, 
which  is  still  standing,  nearly  opposite  the  parish  church. 
The  building  bears  this  insci'iption  on  its  front :  "  Erected 
1573 — enlarged  1685 — repaired  1809,  1831."  Like  the  other 
refugee  churches,  it  has  ceased  to  retain  its  distinctive  char- 
acter, being  now  used  as  a  Congregational  chapel.  The 
French  there  had  also  a  special  burying-ground,  situated  at 
the  London  entrance  to  Wandsworth,  in  which  several  dis- 
tinguished refugees  have  been  interred — among  others,  David 
Montolieu,  Baron  de  St.  Hyppolite,  in  1761,  aged  ninety-three. 

Several  other  French  churches  were  established  in  the  sub- 
urbs after  the  Revocation.  At  Chelsea  the  refugees  had  two 
chapels — one  in  Cook's  Grounds  (now  used  by  the  Congrega- 
tionalists),  and  another  in  Little  Chelsea.  There  were  French 
churches  also  at  Hammersmith,  at  Hoxton,*  at  Bow,  and  at 
Greenwich.  The  last  named  was  erected  through  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Marquis  de  Ruvigny,  who  formed  the  centre  of  a 
select  circle  of  refugee  Protestants,  who  long  continued  to 
I've  in  the  neighborhood.     Before  their  little   church  was 

*  Of  this  church  Jacob  Bourdillon  was  the  last  pastor.  Among  the  names 
appearing  in  the  Register  are  tliose  of  Komilly,  Cossart,  Faure,  Uiu-and, 
Hankey,  Vidal,  and  Fargues. 


CANTERBURY  AND  SOUTHAMPTON. 


ready  for  use,  the  refugees  were  allowed  the  use  of  the  parish 
church  at  the  conclusion  of  the  forenoon  service  on  Sundays. 
Evelyn,  in  his  Diary,  makes  mention  of  his  attending  the 
French  service  there  in  1687,  as  well  as  the  sermon  which 
followed,  in  which  he  says,  "  The  preacher  pathetically  ex- 
horted to  patience,  constancy,  and  reliance  on  God,  amidst  all 
their  sufferings."  The  French  church,  which  was  afterward  ■ 
erected  in  London  Street,  not  far  from  the  parish  church,  is 
now  used  as  a  Baptist  chapel. 

The  other  French  chapels  throughout  the  kingdom,  like 
those  of  London,  received  a  large  accession  of  members  after 
the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and  in  many  cases  be- 
came too  small  for  their  accommodation.  Hence  a  second 
French  church  was  opened  at  Canterbury  in  a  place  called 
"  The  Malthouse,"*  situated  within  the  cathedral  precincts. 
It  consisted  at  first  of  about  300  persons ;  but  the  Canterbury 
silk  trade  having  become  removed  to  Spitalfields,  the  greater 
number  of  the  French  weavers  followed  it  thither,  on  which 
the  Malthouse  Chajiel  rapidly  fell  off,  and  at  length  became 
extinct  about  the  middle  of  last  century. 

The  old  French  church  of"  God's  House"  at  Southampton 
also  received  a  considerable  accession  of  members,  chiefly  fu- 
gitives from  the  provinces  of  the  opposite  sea-board.  The 
oi-iginal  Walloon  element  had  by  this  time  almost  entirely 
disappeared,  the  immigrants  of  a  century  before  having  be- 
come gradually  absorbed  into  the  native  population.  Hence 
nearly  all  the  entries  in  the  registers  of  the  church  subse- 
quent to  the  year  1685  describe  the  members  as"Fran§ois 
refugiez,"  some  being  from  "  Basse  Normandie,"  others  from 
"  Haute  Languedoc,"  but  the  greater  number  from  the  prov- 
ince of  Poitou. 

Numerous    refugee  military  officers,  retired   from  active 

*  See  Appendix — Records  of  Hwjuenot  Churches  in  England.  The  Rev. 
M.  Charpentier  was  one  of  the  earl}^  ministers  of  the  Malthouse  Chapel.  In 
a  petition  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  he  states  that  his  family  had  suf- 
fered very  much  for  the  Protestant  religion,  especially  his  father,  who  was  put 
to  death  by  the  dragoons,  and  died  a  martyr  in  the  year  1683. — Burn,  p.  5.3. 


270  HUGUENOT  CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 

♦ 

service,  seem  to  have  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  South- 
ampton about  the  beginning  of  last  century.  Henry  de  Ru- 
vigny,  the  venerable  Earl  of  Gal  way,  then  lived  at  Rookley, 
and  formed  the  centre  of  a  distinguished  circle  of  refugee 
gentry.  The  Baron  de  Huningue  also  lived  in  the  town,  and 
was  so  much  respected  and  beloved  that  at  his  death  he  was 
honored  with  a  public  funeral.*  We  also  find  the  families  of 
the  De  Chavei'nays  and  De  Cosnes  settled  in  the  place.  The 
register  of  "  God's  House"  contains  frequent  entries  relating 
to  officers  in  "Colonel  Mordant's  regiment."  On  one  occa- 
sion we  find  Brigadier  Mordant  standing  sponsor  for  the  twin 
sons  of  Major  Fran9ois  du  Chesne  de  Ruffanes,  major  of  in- 
fantry ;  and  on  another,  the  Earl  of  Gal  way  standing  sponsor 
for  the  infant  son  of  Pierre  de  Cosne,  a  refugee  gentleman  of 
La  Beauce.  From  the  circumstance  of  Gerard  de  Vaux,  the 
owner  of  a  paper-mill  in  South  Stoneham,  being  a  member  of 
the  cong'regation,  we  also  infer  that  several  of  the  settlers  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Southampton  were  engaged  in  that 
branch  of  manufacture. 

Among  the  new  French  churches  formed  in  places  where 
before  there  had  been  none,  and  which  mark  the  new  settle- 
ments made  by  the  fresh  influx  of  refugees,  may  be  mentioned 
those  of  Bristol,  Exeter,  Plymouth,  Stonehouse,  Dartmouth, 
Barnstaple,  and  Thorpe-le-Soken  in  Essex. 

The  French  Episcopal  Church  at  Bristol  seems  at  one  time 
to  have  been  of  considerable  importance.  It  was  instituted 
in  1G87,  and  was  first  held  in  what  is  called  the  Mayor's 
Chapel  of  St.  Mark  the  Gaunt;  but  in  1726  a  chapel  was 
built  for  the  special  use  of  the  French  congregation  on  the 
ground  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  Hospital  for  the  Red  Maids,  sit- 
uated in  Orchard  Street.  The  chapel,  at  its  first  opening,  was 
so  crowded  with  worshipers,  that  the  aisles,  as  well  as  the 
altar-place,  had  to  be  fitted  Avith  benches  for  their  accommo- 
dation. From  the  register  of  the  church,  it  would  appear 
that  the  refugees  consisted  principally  of  seafaring  persons — 

*  See  Appendix — Records  of  Hwjuawt  Churches  in  England. 


PLYMOUTH,  THORPE -LE-SOKEN,  ETC.  277 

cai^tains,  masters,  and  sailors  —  chiefly  from  Nantes,  Sain- 
tonge,  Rochelle,  and  the  Isle  of  Rhe. 

The  congregations  formed  at  Plymouth  and  Stonehouse,* 
as  well  as  Dartmouth,  were  in  like  manner  for  the  most  part 
composed  of  sailors,  while  those  at  Exeter,  on  the  other  hand, 
were  prmcipally  trades-people  and  artisans  employed  in  the 
tapestry  manufacture  carried  on  in  that  city.  M.  Majendie, 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Majendie,  bishop  of  Chester,  Avas  one  of 
the  ministers  of  the  Exeter  congregation  ;  and  Tom  D'Urfey, 
the  song-writer,  was  the  son  of  one  of  the  refugees  settled  in 
the  place. 

The  settlement  at  Thorpe-le-Soken,  in  Essex,  seems  to  have 
been  a  comparatively  small  one,  consisting  principally  of  ref- 
ugee gentry  and  farmers ;  but  they  were  in  sufficient  num- 
bers to  constitute  a  church,  of  which  M.  Severin,  who  after- 
ward removed  to  Greenwich,  was  the  first  minister.  The 
church  Avas  closed  "  for  want  of  members"  about  the  year 
1726.  As  Avas  the  case  at  many  other  places,  the  Thorpe-le- 
Soken  refugees  gradually  ceased  to  be  French.  Year  by  year 
the  foreign  churches  declined,  even  though  fed,  from  time  to 
time,  by  fresh  immigrations  from  abroad.  It  was  in  the  very 
nature  of  things  that  the  rising  generation  should  fall  away 
from  them,  and  desire  to  become  completely  identified  with 
the  nation  which  had  admitted  them  to  citizenship.  Hence 
the  growing  defections  in  country  places,  as  well  as  in  the 
towns  and  cities  where  the  refugees  had  settled,  and  hence 
the  growing  complaints  of  the  falling  ofi"  in  the  numbers  of 
their  congregations  which  we  find  in  the  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses of  the  refugee  pastors. 

About  the  middle  of  last  century,  the  thirty-five  French 
churches  in  London  and  its  suburbs  had  become  reduced  to 

*  It  seems  to  have  been  the  practice  of  the  minister  of  the  Stonehouse 
church  to  require  all  who  were  present  at  baptisms,  as  well  as  marriages,  to 
sign  the  register  as  witnesses  ;  and  as  nearly  all  were  able  to  sign  their  names 
— not  more  than  about  five  in  the  hundred  requiring  to  sign  with  a  mark — it 
would  tliereby  appear  that  the  refugees  were,  as  a  whole,  an  educated  class, 
so  for,  at  least,  as  elementary  instruction  was  concerned. 


278  HUGUENOT  CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 

a  comparatively  small  number,  and  the  French  pastors  were 
full  of  lamentations  as  to  the  approaching  decadence  of  those 
which  remained.  This  feeling  was  given  eloquent  utterance 
to  by  the  Rev.  Jacob  Bourdillon,  minister  of  the  Artillery 
Church  in  Spitalfields,  on  the  occasion  of  the  jubilee  sermon 
which  he  preached  there  in  1782,  in  commemoration  of  his 
fifty  years'  pastorate.*  He  had  been  appointed  minister  of 
the  congregation  when  it  was  a  large  and  thriving  one  in 
1731,  and  he  now  addressed  but  a  feeble  remnant  of  what  it 
had  been.  The  old  members  had  died  off;  but  their  places 
had  not  been  supplied  by  the  young,  who  had  gone  in  search 
of  other  pastures.  But  it  was  the  same  Mith  all  the  other 
French  churches.  When  he  was  appointed  minister  of  "The 
Artillery,"  fifty  years  before,  there  had,  he  said,  been  twentyf 

*  During  these  fifty  3'ears  M.  Bourdillon  had  to  lament  the  loss  of  many 
dear  friends.  No  fewer  than  fifty-two  pastors  of  London  refugee  churches 
had  in  that  time  ended  their  course,  and  of  these,  six  had  been  his  colleagues. 
The  deceased  ministers,  whose  names  he  gives,  and  the  places  in  which  they 
ministered,  are  as  follows  : 

Chajid  Royal,  St.  James's. — The  Rev.  Messieurs  Menard,  Aufre're,  Serces, 
Eocheiilave,  De  Missy,  Barbauld,  jNIuisson. 

The  Savoi/. — Olivier,  Du  Croij,  Durand,  Deschamps. 

The  Walloon  Church,  Threadneedle  Street. — Bertheau,  Besombes,  De  St. 
Colombe,  Bonyer,  Barbauld,  Convenant,  La  Douespe,  Duboulai. 

Leicester  Fields,  Artillery,  and  La  Patente. — Blanc,  Barbauld,  SteheUn, 
Mieg,  Barnauin. 

La  Tremhlade. — Gillet,  YAer. 

Castle  Street  and  La  Qiiarrc. — Laval,  Bernard,  Cantier,  Eobert,  Coderc. 

La  Patente  in  Spitalfields. — Fourestier,  Manuel,  Balquerie,  Masson. 

Brown  s  Lane. — Le  Moyne. 

St.  John  Street. — Vincent,  Palairet,  Beuzenlle. 

Wappinf/. — Gaily  de  Gaujac,  Le  Beaupin,  Say,  Guyot,  Prelleur. 

Sican  Fields. — Briel. 

Pastors  of  other  churches  who  had  died  in  London  —  Forent,  Majendie, 
Esternod,  Montignac,  Du  Plessis,  A'illette,  Duval. 

Pastors  of  French  churches  in  London  who  had  died  abroad — Des  INIazu- 
res,  Bobineau,  Boidlier,  EjTiard,  Dagneau,  Marcombe,  Patron,  Pomilly. 

t  From  this  it  would  appear  that  a  considerable  number  of  the  French 
churches  which  existed  in  London  at  the  beginning  of  the  century  had  either 
been  closed  or  become  united  with  others.  The  French  churches  closed  l)e- 
tween  1731  and  178L>,  when  this  sermon  was  preached,  were  these:  The 
church  of  the  Savoy  (La  Grande),  Si)ring  Gardens,  Bider's  Court,  La  Trem- 
hlade, Castle  Street,  Wheeler  Street,  Crisjiin  Street,  Swan  Fields,  and  ]\Iary- 
lebone.  The  chm-ches  which  still  survived  were  these  :  St.  James's,  Les 
Grecs,  Leicester  Fields,  La  Patente,  Le  Quarre',  Threadneedle  Street  (Lon- 
dres),  L'Eglise  Neuve,  St.  INIartiii,  L'Artillerie,  La  Patente,  and  St.  Jean 


DECADENCE  OF  THE  CHURCHES.  279 

flourishing  French  churches  in  London,  nine  of  which  had 
since  been  altogether  closed ;  while  of  the  remaining  eleven 
some  were  fast  drawing  to  their  end,  others  were  scarcely 
able  to  exist  even  with  extraneous  help,  while  very  few  were 
in  a  position  to  support  themselves. 

The  causes  of  this  decadence  of  the  churches  of  the  refu- 
gees were  not  far  to  seek.  The  preacher  found  them  in  "  the 
lack  of  zeal  and  faithfulness  in  the  heads  of  families  in  en- 
couraging their  children  to  maintain  them — churches  which 
their  ancestors  had  reared,  a  glorious  monument  of  the  gen- 
erous sacrifice  which  they  had  made,  of  their  country,  their 
possessions,  and  their  employments,  in  the  sacred  cause  of 
conscience,  for  the  open  jarofession  of  the  truth ;  whereas 
now,"  said  he,  "  through  the  growing  aversion  of  the  young 
for  the  language  of  their  fathers,  from  whom  they  seem  al- 
most ashamed  to  be  descended — shall  I  say  more  ? — because 
of  inconstancy  in  the  principles  of  the  faith,  which  induces 
so  many,  by  a  sort  of  infatuation,  to  forsake  the  ancient  as- 
semblies in  order  to  follow  novelties  unknown  to  our  fathers, 
and  listen  to  pretended  teachers  whose  only  gifts  are  rapture 
and  babble,  and  whose  sole  inspiration  consists  m  self-suffi- 
ciency and  pride.  Alas  !  wliat  ravages  have  been  made  here, 
as  elsewhere,  during  this  jubilee  of  fifty  years  !" 

But  there  were  other  causes  besides  these  to  account  for 
the  decadence  of  the  refugee  churches.  Nature  itself  was 
working  against  them.  Year  by  year  the  children  of  the 
refugees  were  becoming  less  and  less  French,  and  more  and 
more  English.  They  lived  and  worked  among  the  English, 
and  spoke  their  language.  They  intermarried  with  them; 
their  children  played  together ;  and  the  idea  of  remaining 
foreigners  in  the  country  in  which  they  had  been  born  and 
bred  became  year  by  year  more  distasteful  to  them.  They 
were  not  a  "  peculiar  people,"  like  the  Jews ;  but  Protest- 
ants, like  the  nation  which  had  given  them  refuge,  and  into 

Street.  Of  these  only  three  remain  in  existence,  in  two  of  which  the  rituaJ 
of  the  Church  of  England  has  been  adopted. 


280  HUGUENOT  CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 

which  they  naturally  desired  to  become  wholly  merged. 
Hence  it  was  that  by  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  near- 
ly all  the  French  churches,  as  such,  had  disappeared,  and  the 
places  of  the  French  ministers  became  occujiied  in  some  cases 
by  clergymen  of  the  Established  Church,  and  in  others  by 
ministers  of  the  different  dissenting  persuasions. 

The  Church  of  the  Artillery,  in  Avhich  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bour- 
dillon  preached  the  above  sermon  so  full  of  lamentations,  is 
now  occupied  as  a  poor  Jews'  synagogue.  L'Eglise  Neuve 
is  a  chapel  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists.  L'Eglise  de  St. 
Jean,  Swan  Fields,  Shoreditch,  has  become  one  of  the  ten  new 
churches  of  St.  Matthew,  Bethnal  Green.  Swallow  Street 
Chapel  is  used  as  a  Scotch  Church.  Leicester  Fields,  now 
called  Orange  Street  Chapel,  is  occupied  by  a  congregation 
of  Lidependents ;  whereas  Castle  Street  Chapel,  Leicester 
Square,  was,  until  quite  recently,  used  as  a  Court  of  Requests. 

The  French  churches  at  Wandsworth  and  Chelsea  are  oc- 
cupied by  the  Independents,  and  those  at  Greenwich  and 
Plymouth  by  the  Baptists.  The  Dutch  church  at  Maidstone 
is  used  as  a  school,  while  the  Walloon  church  of  Yarmouth 
was  first  converted  into  a  theatre,  and  has  since  done  duty 
as  a  warehouse. 

Among  the  charitable  institutions  founded  by  the  refugees 
for  the  succor  of  their  distressed  fellow-countrymen  in  En- 
gland, the  most  important  was  the  French  Hospital.  This 
establishment  owes  its  origin  to  M.  De  Gastigny,  a  French 
gentleman  who  had  been  master  of  the  buckhounds  to  Wil- 
liam in,  in  Holland,  while  Prince  of  Orange.  At  his  death 
in  1708  he  bequeathed  a  sum  of  £1000  toward  founding  a 
hospital  in  London  for  the  relief  of  distressed  French  Prot- 
estants. The  money  was  placed  at  interest  for  eight  years, 
during  which  successive  benefactions  were  added  to  the  fund. 
In  1716,  a  piece  of  groimd  in  Old  Street,  St.  Luke's,  was  pur- 
chased of  the  Ironmongers'  Company,  and  a  lease  Avas  taken 
from  the  city  of  London  of  some  adjoining  land,  forming  alto- 
gether an  area  of  about  four  acres,  on  which  a  building  was 


THE  FRENCH  HOSPITAL.  281 

erected  and  fitted  up  for  the  reception  of  eighty  poor  Prot- 
estants of  the  French  nation.  In  1718,  George  I.  granted  a 
charter  of  incorporation  to  the  governor  and  directors  of  the 
hospital,  under  which  the  Earl  of  Galway  was  appointed  the 
first  governor.  Shortly  after,  in  November,  1718,  the  open- 
ing of  the  institution  was  celebrated  by  a  solemn  act  of  re- 
ligion, and  the  chapel  was  consecrated  amid  a  great  con- 
course of  refugees  and  their  descendants,  the  Rev.  Philip  Me- 
nard, minister  of  the  French  chapel  of  St.  James's,  conducting 
the  service  on  the  occasion. 

From  that  time  the  funds  of  the  institution  steadily  in- 
creased. The  French  merchants  of  London,  who  had  been 
l^rosperous  in  trade,  liberally  contributed  toward  its  support, 
and  legacies  and  donations  multiplied.  Lord  Galway  be- 
queathed £1000  to  the  hospital  at  his  death  in  1720  ;  and  in 
the  following  year.  Baron  Hervart  de  Huningue  gave  a  dona- 
tion of  £4000.  The  corporation  were  placed  in  the  possession 
of  ample  means :  and  they  accoi'dingly  proceeded  to  erect 
additional  buildings,  in  which  they  were  enabled  by  the  year 
1760  to  give  an  asylum  to  234  poor  people.* 

Among  the  distinguished  noblemen  and  gentlemen  of 
French  Protestant  descent  who  have  ofiiciated  as  governors 
of  the  institution  since  the  date  of  its  foundation  may  be 
mentioned  the  Earl  of  Galway,  the  Baron  de  Huningue,  Ro- 
bethon  (privy  councilor),  the  Baron  de  la  Court,  Lord  Ligo- 
nier,  and  several  successive  Earls  of  Radnor ;  while  among 
the  list  of  directors  we  recognize  the  names  of  Montolieu, 
Baron  de  St.  Hippolite,  Gambler,  Bosanquet,  Colombies,  Ma- 
jendie  (D.D.),  Colonel  de  Cosne,  Dalbiac,  Gaussen,  Dargent, 
Blaquiere,  General  Ruffane,  Lefevre,  Boileau  (Bart.),  Colonel 
Vigiiolles,  Romilly,  Turquand,  Pechel  (Bart.),  Travers,  Lieut. 
General    de   Villetes,  Major   General   Montresor,  Devisme, 

*  The  French  hospital  has  recently  been  removed  from  its  original  site  to 
Victoria  Park,  where  a  handsome  building  has  been  erected  as  a  hospital  for 
the  accommodation  of  40  men  and  20  women,  after  the  designs  of  Mr.  Robert 
Lewis  Koumieii,  architect,  one  of  the  directors  ;  Mr.  Koumieu  being  liimself 
descended  from  an  illustrious  Huguenot  fainily — the  Roumieus  of  Languedoc. 


282  HUGUENOT  CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 

Chaniier  (M.  P.),  Major  General  Layard,  Bouverie,  Captain 
Dumaresq  (R.  N.),  Duval,  the  Hon.  Philip  Pusey,  Andre 
(Bart.),De  Hochepied  Larpent  (Bart.),  Jean  Sylvestre  (Bart.), 
Cazenove,  Dollond,  Petit  (M.D.),  Le  Mesurier,  Landon,  Mar- 
tineau,  Baron  Maseres,  Chevalier,  Durand,  Hanbury,  Labou- 
chere,  De  la  Rue  (F.  R,  S.) ;  and  many  other  names  well 
known  and  highly  distinguished  in  the  commerce,  politics, 
literature,  and  science  of  England. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

HUGUENOT   SETTLEMENTS   IN   IRELAND. 

It  had  long  been  the  policy  of  the  English  mouarchs  to  in- 
duce foreign  artisans  to  settle  in  Ireland  and  establish  new 
branches  of  skilled  industry  there.  It  was  hoped  that  the 
Irish  people  might  be  induced  to  folloAV  their  example,  and 
that  thus  the  unemployed  population  of  that  country,  instead 
of  being  a  source  of  national  poverty  and  weakness,  might  be 
rendered  a  source  of  national  wealth  and  strength. 

We  have  already  seen  the  Earl  of  Strafford  engaged  in  an 
attempt  to  establish  the  linen  trade  in  the  north  of  Ireland. 
But  his  term  of  office  was  cut  short,  and  the  country  shortly 
after  fell  a  prey  to  civil  war  and  all  its  horrors.  At  the  Res- 
toration, Charles  11.  endeavored  to  pursue  the  same  policy ; 
and  many  of  the  French  refugees,  so  soon  as  they  landed  in 
England,  were  forwarded  into  Ireland  at  the  expense  of  the 
state.  In  1674,  the  Irish  Parliament  passed  an  act  offering 
letters  of  naturalization  to  the  refugees,  and  free  admission  to 
all  corporations.  The  then  viceroy,  the  Duke  of  Ormond, 
zealously  encouraged  this  policy;  and  under  his  patronage, 
colonies  of  French  refugees  were  planted  at  Dublin,  Water- 
ford,  Cork,  Kilkenny,  Lisburn,  and  Portarlington,  where  they 
introduced  glove-making,  silk-weaving,  lace-making,  and  man- 
ufactures of  cloth  and  linen.  The  refugees  were  prosperously 
pursuing  their  respective  trades  when  the  English  Revolution 
of  1688  occurred,  and  again  Ireland  Avas  thrown  into  a  state 
of  civil  war,  which  continued  for  three  years,  but  was  at  length 
concluded  by  the  peace  of  Limerick  in  1691. 

No  sooner  was  the  war  at  an  end  than  William  III.  took 
steps  to  restore  the  prostrate  industry  of  the  country.  The 
Irish  Parliament  again  revived  their  bill  of  1674  (which  the 


284  SETTLEMEyJTS  IN  IRELAND. 

Parliament  of  James  had  suspended),  granting  naturalization 
to  such  of  the  refugees  as  should  settle  in  Ireland,  and  guar- 
anteeing them  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion.  A  large 
number  of  William's  foreign  officers  at  once  availed  them- 
selves of  the  privilege,  and  settled  at  Youghal,  Waterford, 
and  Portarlington ;  while  colonies  of  foreign  manufacturers 
at  the  same  time  planted  themselves  at  Dublin,  Cork,  Lis- 
burn,  ar.d  other  places. 

The  refugees  who  settled  at  Dublin  established  themselves 
for  the  most  part  in  "  The  Liberties,"  where  they  began  the 
manufacture  of  tabinet,  since  more  generally  known  as 
"Irish  poplin,"*  The  demand  for  the  article  became  such 
that  a  number  of  French  masters  and  workmen  left  Spital- 
fields  and  migrated  to  Dublin,  where  they  largely  extended 
the  manufacture.  The  Combe,  Pimlico,  Spitalfields,  and  oth- 
er streets  in  Dublin,  named  after  corresponding  streets  in 
London,  were  built  for  their  accommodation ;  and  "Weavers' 
Square  became  a  principal  quarter  in  the  city.  For  a  time 
the  trade  was  very  prosperous,  and  gave  employment  to  a 
large  number  of  persons ;  but  about  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  the  frequent  recurrence  of  strikes  among  the 
workmen  paralyzed  the  employers  of  labor;  the  manufacture 
in  consequence  became  almost  lost,  and  "  The  Liberties,"  in- 
stead of  the  richest,  became  one  of  the  poorest  quarters  of 
Dublin.  So  long  as  the  French  colony  prospered,  the  refu- 
gees had  three  congregations  in  the  city.  One  of  these  was 
an  Episcopal  congregation,  attached  to  St.  Patrick's  Cathe- 
dral, Avhich  worshiped  in  St.  Mary's  Chapel,  granted  to  thcin 
by  the  dean  and  chapter  ;  and  it  continued  in  existence  until 
the  year  1816.  The  other  two  were  Calvinistic  congrega- 
tions, one  of  Avhich  had  their  place  of  worship  in  Peter  Street, 

*  There  are  no  certain  records  for  fixing  the  precise  date  wlien  silk-weav- 
ing was  commenced  in  Dnblin ;  but  it  is  generally  believed  that  an  ancestor 
of  the  present  respected  family  of  tiie  Latouches  commenced  the  weaving  of 
tabinets  or  poi)lins  and  tabbareas,  in  the  lilierties  of  Dublin,  .ibout  the  year 
1693. — 1)h.  W.  Cooke  Tayi.ok,  in  Statistical  Journal  for  December,  1843. 
p.  354. 


THE  LINEN  MA  NUFA  CTURE.  285 

. « 

mid  the  other  in  Lucas  Lane.  The  refugees  also  had  special 
burying-places  assigned  them — the  principal  one  adjoining 
St.  Stephen's  Green,  and  the  other  being  situated  on  the  south- 
ern outskirts  of  the  city. 

But  the  northern  covuities  of  Down  and  Antrim  were,  more 
than  any  other  parts  of  Ireland,  regarded  as  the  sanctuary  of 
the  refugees.  There  they  found  themselves  among  men  of 
their  own  religion — mostly  Scotch  Calvinists,  who  had  fled 
from  the  Stuart  persecutions  in  Scotland  to  take  refuge  in  the 
comparatively  unmolested  districts  of  Ulster.  Lisburn,  for- 
merly called  Lisnagarvey,  about  ten  miles  southwest  of  Bel- 
fast, was  one  of  the  favorite  settlements  of  the  refugees.  The 
place  had  been  burnt  to  the  ground  in  the  civil  war  of  1641 ; 
but,  with  the  help  of  the  refugees,  it  was  before  long  restored 
to  more  than  its  former  importance,  and  shortly  became  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  towns  in  Ireland. 

The  government  of  the  day,  while  they  discouraged  the 
woolen  manufactui-e  of  Ireland  because  of  its  supposed  injury 
to  England,  made  every  effort  to  encourage  the  trade  in  linen. 
An  act  was  passed  with  the  latter  object  in  1697,  contaming 
various  enactments  calculated  to  foster  the  growth  of  flax  and 
the  manufacture  of  linen  cloth.  Before  the  passing  of  this 
act,  William  IH.  proceeded  to  invite  Louis  Crommelin,  a  Hu- 
guenot refugee,  then  temporarily  settled  in  Holland,  to  come 
over  into  Ireland  and  undertake  the  superintendence  of  the 
new  branch  of  industry, 

Crommelin  belonged  to  a  family  who  had  carried  on  the 
linen  manufacture  in  its  various  branches  in  Fi-ance  for  up- 
ward of  400  years,  and  he  had  himself  been  engaged  in  the 
business  for  more  than  30  years  at  Armandcourt,  near  Saint 
Quentin,  in  Picardy,  where  he  was  born.  He  was  singularly 
well  fitted  for  the  office  to  which  the  king  called  him,  being  a 
person  of  admirable  business  qualities,  of  excellent  good  sense, 
and  of  remarkable  energy  and  perseverance.  Being  a  Prot- 
estant, and  a  man  of  much  foresight,  he  had  quietly  realized 
what  he  could  of  his  large  property  in  the  neighborhood  of 


286  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

-  -, 

St.  Quentin  shortly  before  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  and  migrated  across  the  frontier  into  Holland  be- 
fore the  bursting  of  the  storm. 

In  1698,  Crommelin,  having  accepted  the  invitation  of  Wil- 
liam, left  Holland,  accompanied  by  his  son,  and  shortly  after 
his  arrival  in  England  he  proceeded  into  the  north  of  Ireland 
to  fix  upon  the  site  best  adapted  for  the  intended  undertak- 
ing. After  due  deliberation,  he  pitched  upon  the  ruined  vil- 
lage of  Lisnagarvey  as  the  most  suitable  for  his  ]n;rpose.* 
The  king  approved  of  the  selection,  and  authorized  Crom- 
melin to  proceed  with  his  operations,  appointing  him  "  Over- 
seer of  the  Royal  Linen  Manufactory  of  Ireland."  In  consid- 
eration of  Crommelin  advancing  £10,000  out  of  his  own  pri- 
vate fortune  to  commence  the  undertaking,  a  giant  of  £800 
per  annum  was  guaranteed  to  him  for  twelve  years,  being  at 
the  rate  of  8  per  cent,  on  the  capital  invested.  At  the  same 
time,  an  annuity  of  £200  was  granted  him  for  life,  and  £120 
a  year  for  two  assistants,  whose  duty  it  was  to  travel  from 
place  to  place  and  superintend  the  cultivation  of  the  liax,  as 
well  as  to  visit  the  bleaching-grounds  and  see  to  the  proper 
finishing  of  the  fabric.f 

*  Crominelin's  first  factory  was  at  the  foot  of  the  wooden  bridge  over  the 
Lagan,  and  his  first  bleaehing-ground  was  started  at  the  place  called  Hildeii. 

t  The  following  is  the  substance  of  the  patent  granted  by  King  William  to 
Louis  Crommelin : 

"In  consequence  of  a  proposal  by  Louis  Crommelin  to  establish  a  linen 
manufacture  in  Ireland,  and  the  design  and  method  in  said  memorial  being 
approved  of  by  the  Commissioners  of  Treasury  and  Trade,  the  following  grant 
was  made :  That  £800  be  settled  for  ten  years  as  interest  on  £10,000  ad- 
vanced by  said  Louis  Crommelin  for  the  making  of  a  bleaching-yard  and 
building  a  ])ressing-house,  and  for  weaving,  cultivating,  and  pressing  liemp 
and  flax,  and  making  provision  of  both  to  be  sold  ready  prepared  to  the  spin- 
ners at  reasonable  rate  and  upon  credit ;  providing  all  tools  and  utensils, 
looms,  and  spinning-wheels,  to  be  furnished  at  the  several  costs  of  persons 
employed,  by  advances  to  be  paid  by  them  in  small  payments  as  they  are  able  : 
advancing  sums  of  money  necessaiy  for  the  subsistence  of  such  workmen  and 
their  families  as  shall  come  from  abroad,  and  of  such  persons  of  this  our  king- 
dom as  shall  apply  themselves  in  families  to  work  in  the  manufactories ;  such 
sums  to  be  advanced  without  interest,  and  to  be  repaid  by  degrees.  That 
£200  per  annum  be  allowed  to  said  Cronnnelin  during  pleasure  for  his  pains 
and  care  in  carrying  on  said  work,  and  that  £120  per  annum  be  allowed  for 
two  assistants,  together  with  a  jiremium  of  £(iO  per  annum  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  a  French  minister,  and  that  letters  patent  be  grr.nted  accordingb.'. 
Dated  14th  of  February,  IGU'J." 


LOUIS  CROMMELIN.  287 

Crommelin  at  oiicc  sent  invitations  abroad  to  the  Protest- 
ant artisans  to  come  over  and  join  him,  and  numbers  of  theni 
responded  to  his  call.  A  little  colony  of  refugees  of  all  ranks 
and  many  trades  soon  became  planted  at  Lisburn,  and  tlie 
place  shortly  began  to  exhibit  an  appearance  of  returning 
prosperity.  With  a  steadiness  of  purpose  which  distinguish- 
ed Crommelin  through  life,  he  devoted  himself  with  unceas- 
ing zeal  to  the  promotion  of  the  enterprise  which  he  had 
taken  in  hand.  He  liberally  rewarded  the  toil  of  his  brother- 
exiles,  and  cheered  them  on  the  road  to  success.  He  import- 
ed from  Holland  a  thousand  looms  and  spinning-wheels  of  the 
best  construction,  and  gave  a  premium  of  £5  for  every  loom 
that  was  kept  going.  Before  long,  he  introduced  improve- 
ments of  his  own  in  the  looms  and  spinning-wheels,  as  well  as 
in  the  implements  and  in  the  preparation  of  the  material. 
Every  branch  of  the  operations  made  rapid  progress  under 
the  Huguenot  chief,  from  the  sowing,  cultivating,  and  pre- 
paring of  the  flax  through  the  various  stages  of  its  manipula- 
tion, to  the  finish  of  the  cloth  at  the  bleach-fields.  And  thus, 
by  painstaking,  skill,  and  industry,  zealously  supported  as  he 
was  by  his  artisans,  Crommelin  Avas  shortly  enabled  to  pro- 
duce finer  sorts  of  fabrics  than  had  ever  before  been  made  in 
Britain.* 

*  A  linen  board  was  established  by  the  Duke  of  Ormond  in  October,  1711. 
In  a  petition  to  this  board,  L.  Crommelin  recounted  all  he  had  done,  and  re- 
quested a  renewal  of  the  patent.  The  board  reported  favorably.  Cromme- 
lin had  now  been  fourteen  years  at  work.  The  colony  of  refugees,  about  70 
at  first,  had  increased  to  120  in  1711.  In  1703,  November  20,  Parliament 
voted  confidence  in  Crommelin,  and  again,  in  October,  1707,  by  vote  declared 
that  he  had  been  eminently  usefid.  In  his  petition,  Crommelin  states  that 
"by  the  first  patent,  granted  by  the  late  King  William,  the  whole  sum  of 
£800  was  granted  to  your  petitioner  for  the  settlement  of  himself  and  colony 
for  ten  years,  over  and  above  £380  per  annum  for  jjension  for  your  petitioner 
and  his  three  assistants,  and  the  minister,  during  pleasure,  which  said  patent 
was  not  put  in  execution,  but  instead  thereof,  after  the  said  King  William's 
death,  the  Honorable  Trustees  obtained  a  second  from  our  most  gracious 
Queen  Anne,  authorizing  them  to  dispose  of  the  said  sums  of  £800  and  £380, 
both  to  your  petitioner  and  his  colony,  and  the  natives  of  the  country,  both 
which  sums  were  limited  for  ten  years,  whereas  by  the  first  the  pensions  were 
granted  during  pleasure ;  so  that  your  petitioner  was  reduced  to  £400,  which 
was  a  gi'eat  discouragement,  and  produced  not  3  per  cent,  instead  of  the  8  per 
cent,  they  were  to  have  by  the  first  patent The  present  patent  will 


288  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

Cronimelin,  among  his  other  labors  for  the  establishment 
of  the  linen  trade,  wrote  and  published  at  Dublin,  in  1705,^« 
Essay  toioardthe  improving  of  the  Hempen  iuid  Flaxen  Man- 
ufacture of  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland,  so  that  all  might  be  made 
acquainted  with  the  secret  of  his  success,  and  be  enabled  to 
go  and  do  likewise.  The  treatise  contained  many  useful  in- 
structions for  the  cultivation  of  flax,  in  the  various  stages  of 
its  jDlanting  and  growth  to  perfection,  together  with  direc- 
tions for  the  preparation  of  the  material,  in  the  several  pro- 
cesses of  spinning,  weaving,  and  bleaching. 

Though  a  foreigner,  Cronimelin  continued  throughout  liis 
life  to  take  a  warm  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  his  adopt- 
ed country ;  and  his  services  were  recognized,  not  only  by 
King  William,  who  continued  his  firm  friend  to  the  last,  but 
by  the  Irish  Parliament,  Avho  from  time  to  time  Aoted  grants 
of  money  to  himself,  and  his  assistants,  and  his  artisans,*  to 
enable  him  to  ijrosecute  his  enterprise;  and  in  1707  they 
voted  him  the  public  thanks  for  his  patriotic  efforts  toward 
the  establishment  of  the  linen  trade  in  Ireland,  of  Avhich  he 

determine  on  the  24th  of  June  next,  and  unless  the  same  be  renewed  for  a 
certain  term  of  years,  your  petitioner  and  liis  colon}'  will  be  reduced  to  great 
extremities,  and  rendered  incapable  of  continuing  a  settlement  begun  \\ith 
so  much  difficulty."  The  prayer  of  the  petition  was  for  a  rene\Nal  of  the  pat- 
ent for  ten  years  or  other  term,  and  for  Cronimelin  a  pension  of  i-'oOO  per  an- 
num, which  Avas  granted. —  Ulster  Journal  of  Archwolocjy,  i.,  2S(J-!). 

*  In  the  papers  of  the  Irish  House  of  Commons  the  following  account  oc- 
curs : 

Pensions  paid  to  the  French  colony  at  Lisburn  : 

170-l:-r»,  Feb.  1(5.   Paid  to  Lewis  Crommelin,  for  three  years £600 

To  French  minister  for  two  years 1 02 

To  flax-dresser  for  two  and  a  quarter  years 27 

To  the  reed-maker  for  the  like  term 18 

I705-G,  Jan.  18.  To  Louis  Crommelin  for  one  year 280 

Nov.  20.  To  same  for  nine  months 210 

1707,  Aug.  22.  To  same  for  like  term 210 

To  the  arrears  of  two  assistants 3G0 

Nov.  20.  To  Louis  Crommelin,  minister,  etc.,  for  tlu-ee  months  80 

1708,  June  19.  To     do.             do.             do.              for  six  months...  IfiO 
Dec.  11.  To  same 2(5 

The  "reed-maker"  referred  to  in  this  account  \\'as  one  Mark  Ileniy  Uujire, 
a  skilled  workman  who  fled  from  France  sliortly  after  the  Revocation,  and 
landed  in  the  soiuh  of  Ireland.  From  thence  he  made  his  way  to  Lisburn. 
and  joined  Crommelin,  to  whom  he  proved  of  great  sendee.  His  descendants 
are  still  to  be  found  in  Belfast. 


THE  COL ONY  A  T  LISB URN. —GO  YER.  289 

was  unquestionably  the  founder.  Crommelin  died  in  1727, 
and  was  buried  beside  other  members  of  his  family  who  had 
gone  before  him,  in  the  church-yard  at  Lisburn. 

The  French  refugees  long  continued  a  distinct  people  in 
that  neighborhood.  They  clung  together,  associated  togeth- 
er, and  worshiped  together,  frequenting  their  own  French 
church,  in  which  they  had  a  long  succession  of  French  pas- 
tors.* They  cai-efuUy  trained  up  their  children  in  their  na- 
tive tongue  and  in  the  Huguenot  faith,  cherishing  the  hope 
of  some  day  being  enabled  to  return  to  their  native  land. 
But  that  hope  at  length  died  out,  and  the  descendants  of  the 
Crommelins  eventually  mingled  with  the  families  of  the  Irish, 
and  became  part  and  jDarcel  of  the  British  nation. 

Among  the  other  French  settlers  at  Lisburn  was  Peter  Goy- 
er,  a  native  of  Picardy.  He  owned  a  large  farm  there,  and 
also  carried  on  an  extensive  business  as  a  manufacturer  of 
cambric  and  silk  at  the  time  of  the  Revocation;  but' when 
the  dragonnades  began,  he  left  all  his  proj^erty  behind  liim 
and  fled  aci-oss  the  frontier.  The  record  is  still  preserved  in 
the  family  of  the  cruelties  practiced  upon  Peter's  martyred 
brother  by  the  ruthless  soldiery,  who  tore  a  leaf  from  his  Bi- 
ble and  forced  it  into  his  mouth  before  he  died.  From  Hol- 
land Goyer  proceeded  to  England,  and  from  thence  to  Lis- 
burn, where  he  began  the  manufacture  of  the  articles  for  which 
he  had  acquired  so  much  reputation  in  his  own  country.  Aft- 
er a  short  time  he  resolved  on  returning  to  France,  in  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  recover  some  of  his  property.  But  the 
persecution  was  raging  more  fiercely  than  ever,  and  he  found 
that,  if  captured,  he  would  probably  be  condemned  to  the 

*  The  Rev.  Saumarez  Duboiirdieu,  grandson  of  the  celebrated  French  pas- 
tor of  the  Savoy  Church  in  London,  was  minister  of  the  French  church  at 
lisburn  for  forty-five  years,  and  was  so  beloved  in  the  neighborhood  that  at 
the  insun-ection  of  17!)8  he  was  the  only  person  in  Lisburn  whom  the  insur- 
gents agreed  to  spare.  The  French  congregation  having  become  greatly  de- 
creased by  deaths  as  well  as  intermarriages  with  Irish  families,  the  chapel  was 
at  length  closed — it  is  now  used  as  the  court-house  of  Lisburn — and  the  pas- 
tor Dubourdieu  having  joined  the  EstabUshed  Church,  he  was  presented  with 
the  living  of  Lambeg.  His  son,  rector  of  Annahelt,  County  Down,  was  the 
author  of^l  Statistical  Surveij  of  the  Coe^if^  ^in<n?«,  published  in  1812, 

T 


290  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

galleys  for  life.  He  again  contrived  to  make  his  escape,  hav- 
ing been  carried  on  board  an  outward-bound  ship  concealed 
in  a  wine-cask.  Returned  to  Lisburn,  he  resumed  the  manu- 
facture of  silk  and  cambric,  in  which  he  emploj^ed  a  consider- 
able number  of  workmen.  The  silk  manufacture  there  was 
destroyed  in  the  rebellion  of  1798,  which  dispersed  the  Avork- 
people ;  but  that  of  cambric  survived,  and  became  firmly 
founded  at  Lurgan,  which  now  enjoys  a  high  reputation  for 
the  perfection  of  its  manufactures. 

Other  colonies  of  the  refugees  Averc  established  in  the  south 
of  Ireland,  where  they  carried  on  A'arious  branches  of  manu- 
facture. William  Crommelin,  a  brother  of  Louis,  having  been 
appointed  one  of  his  assistants,  superintended  the  branch  of 
the  linen  trade  Avhich  Avas  established  at  Kilkenny  through 
the  instrumentality  of  the  Marquis  of  Ormonde.  Another 
settlement  of  refugees  Avas  formed  at  Cork,  Avhere  they  con- 
gregated together  in  a  quarter  of  the  tOAvn  forming  part  of 
the  jiarish  of  St.  Paul,  the  principal  street  in  Avhich  is  still 
called  French  Church  Street.  Though  the  principal  refugees 
at  Cork  Avere  merchants  and  traders,  there  Avas  a  sufficient 
number  of  them  to  begin  the  manufacture  of  Avoolcn  cloth, 
ginghams,  and  other  fabrics,  Avhich  they  carried  on  for  a  time 
with  considerable  success. 

The  Avoolen  manufacture  at  Cork  Avas  begun  by  James  Fon- 
tahie,  a  member  of  the  noble  family  of  De  la  Fontaine,  in 
France,  a  branch  of  which  embraced  Protestantism  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  continued  to  adhere  to  it  doAvm  to  the 
period  of  the  Revocation.  The  career  of  James  Fontaine  Avas 
singularly  illustrative  of  the  times  m  Avhich  he  lived.  His 
case  Avas  only  one  among  thousands  of  others,  in  Avhich  pei*- 
sons  of  I'ank,  Avealth,  and  learning  Avere  suddenly  stripped  of 
their  all,  and  compelled  to  become  Avanderers  over  the  wide 
earth  for  conscience'  sake.  His  life  farther  serves  to  shoAV 
hoAV  a  clever  and  agile  Frenchman,  thrown  upon  a  foreign 
shore,  a  stranger  to  its  people  and  its  language,  without  any 
calling  or  resoiirces,  but  full  of  energy  and  courage,  could 


JAMES  FONTAINE.  291 

contrive  to  earn  an  honest  living  and  achieve  an  honorable 
reputation. 

James  Fontaine  was  the  son  of  a  Protestant  pastor  of  the 
same  name,  and  was  born  at  Royan  in  Saintonge,  a  famous 
Huguenot  district.  His  father  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
drop  the  aristocratic  prefix  of  "  de  la,"  which  he  did  from  mo- 
tives of  humility.  When  a  child,  Fontaine  met  with  an  acci- 
dent through  the  carelessness  of  a  nurse  which  rendered  him 
lame  for  life.  When  only  eight  years  old,  his  father  died,  and 
little  was  done  for  his  education  until  he  arrived  at  about  the 
age  of  seventeen,  when  he  was  placed  under  a  competent  tu- 
tor, and  eventually  took  the  degree  of  M.A.  with  distinction 
at  the  College  of  Guienne  when  in  his  twenty-second  year. 
Shortly  after  his  mother  died,  and  he  became  the  possessor 
of  her  landed  property  near  Pons,  on  the  Charente. 

Young  Fontaine's  sister,  Mai-ie,  had  married  a  Protestant 
pastor  named  Forestier,  of  St.  Mesme  in  Angoumois.  Jacques 
went  to  live  with  them  for  a  time,  and  study  theology  under 
the  pastor.  The  persecutions  having  shortly  set  in,  Fores- 
tier's  church  was  closed,  and  he  himself  compelled  to  fly  to 
England.  The  congregation  of  St.  Mesme  was  consequently 
left  without  a  minister.  Yoimg  Fontaine,  well  knowing  the 
risk  he  ran,  nevertheless  encouraged  the  Protestants  to  as- 
semble in  the  open  air,  and  himself  occasionally  conducted 
their  devotions.  For  this  he  was  cited  to  appear  before  the 
local  tribunals.  He  was  charged  Avith  the  crime  of  attending 
one  of  such  meetings  in  1684,  contrary  to  law,  and  though  he 
had  not  been  present  at  the  meeting  specified,  he  was  con- 
demned and  imprisoned.  He  appealed  to  the  Parliament  at 
Paris,  whither  he  carried  his  plea  of  alibi,  and  was  acquitted. 

Eai'ly  in  1685,  the  year  of  the  Revocation,  the  dragoons 
were  sent  into  the  Huguenot  district  of  Royan  to  carry  out 
the  mission  of  the  "  Most  Christian  King."  In  anticipation 
of  their  visit,  shiploads  of  Huguenots  had  sailed  for  Holland 
and  England  a  few  days  before,  but  Fontaine  did  not  accom- 
pany them.     He  fled  from  his  home,  however,  and  remained 


•jyi  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

concealed  among  his  friends  and  relatives  until  he  felt  that 
he  could  no  longer  remain  in  France  with  safety.  In  the 
month  of  October,  when  the  intelligence  reached  him  that  the 
Edict  of  Revocation  was  proclaimed,  he  at  once  determined 
to  make  his  escape.  A  party  of  Protestant  ladies  had  ar- 
ranged to  accompany  him,  consisting  of  Janette  Forestier,  the 
daughter  of  the  pastor  of  St.  Mesme  (now  a  fugitive  in  En- 
gland), his  niece,  and  the  two  Mesdemoiselles  Boursignot,  to 
one  of  whom  he  was  betrothed. 

At  Marennes,  Fontaine  found  the  captain  of  an  English 
ship  who  was  willing  to  give  the  party  a  passage  to  England. 
It  Avas  at  first  intended  that  they  should  rendezvous  on  the 
sands  near  Tremblade,  and  then  proceed  privily  on  shipboard. 
But  the  coast  was  very  strictly  guarded,  especially  between 
Royan  and  La  Rochelle,  where  the  Protestants  of  the  interior 
Avere  constantly  seeking  outlets  for  escape ;  and  this  part  of 
the  plan  was  given  up.  The  search  of  vessels  leaving  the 
ports  had  become  so  strict,  that  the  English  captain  feared 
that  even  if  Fontaine  and  his  ladies  succeeded  on  getting  on 
board,  it  would  not  be  possible  for  him  to  conceal  them  or 
prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  king's  detectives. 
He  therefore  proposed  that  his  ship  should  set  sail,  and  that 
the  fugitives  should  put  to  sea  and  wait  for  him  to  take  them 
on  board.  It  proved  fortunate  that  this  plan  Avas  adopted, 
for  scarcely  had  the  English  merchantman  left  Tremblade 
than  she  Avas  boarded  and  searched  by  a  French  frigate  on  the 
look-out  for  fugitiA'e  Protestants.  No  prisoners  Avere  found, 
and  the  captain  of  the  merchantman  Avas  ordered  to  proceed 
at  once  on  the  straight  course  for  England. 

MeanAvhile,  the  boat  containing  the  fugitives  having  put 
to  sea,  as  arranged,  lay  to  Avaiting  the  approach  of  the  En- 
glish vessel.  That  they  might  not  be  descried  from  the  frig- 
ate, which  was  close  at  ■  hand j  the  boatman  made  them  lie 
doAvn  in  the  bottom  of  his  boat,  covering  them  Avith  an  old 
sail.  They  all  kncAV  tlie  penalties  to  Avhich  they  Avere  liable 
if  detected  in  the  attempt  to  escape — Fontaine,  the  boatman, 


JAMES  FONTAINE.  293 


and  liis  son,  to  condemnation  to  the  galleys  for  life,  and  the 
three  ladies  to  impi'isonment  for  life.  The  frigate  bore  down 
upon  the  boat  and  hailed  the  boatman,  who  feigned  drunken- 
ness so  well  as  completely  to  deceive  the  king's  captain,  who, 
seeing  nothing  but  the  old  sail  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  or- 
dered the  ship's  head  to  be  put  about,  when  the  frigate  sail- 
ed away  in  the  direction  ofRochefort,  Shortly  after,  while 
she  was  still  in  sight,  though  distant,  the  agreed  signal  was 
given  by  the  boat  to  the  merchantman  (that  of  dropping  the 
sail  three  times  in  the  apparent  attempt  to  hoist  it),  on  which 
the  English  vessel  lay  to,  and  took  the  exiles  on  board.  Aft- 
er a  voyage  of  eleven  days  they  reached  the  welcome  asylum 
of  England,  and  Fontaine  and  his  party  landed  at  BarnstajDle, 
Xorth  Devon,  his  sole  property  consisting  of  twenty  pistoles 
and  six  silver  spoons,  which  had  belonged  to  his  father,  and 
bore  upon  them  his  infantine  initials,  I.  D.  L,  F. — Jacques  de 
la  Fontaine. 

Fontaine  and  the  three  ladies  were  hospitably  received  by 
Mr.  Donne  of  Barnstaple,  with  whom  they  lived  until  a  home 
could  be  prepared  for  their  reception.  One  of  the  first  things 
which  occupied  Fontaine's  attention  was  how  to  earn  a  liv- 
ing for  their  support,  A  cabin  biscuit,  which  he  bought  for 
a  halfpenny,  gave  him  his  first  hint.  The  biscuit  would  have 
cost  twopence  in  France ;  and  it  at  once  occurred  to  him 
that,  such  being  the  case,  grain  might  be  shipped  from  En- 
gland to  France  at  a  profit.  Mr.  Donne  agreed  to  advance 
the  money  requisite  for  the  pui'pose,  taking  half  the  profits. 
The  first  cargo  of  corn  exported  proved  very  profitable ;  but 
Fontaine's  partner  afterward  insisting  on  changing  the  con- 
signee, who  proved  dishonest,  the  speculation  eventually 
proved  unsuccessful, 

Fontaine  had  by  this  time  married  the  Huguenot  lady  to 
whom  he  was  betrothed,  and  who  had  accompanied  him  in 
his  flight  to  England.  After  the  failure  of  the  corn  specula- 
tion he  removed  to  Taunton  in  Somerset,  where  with  diffi- 
culty he  made  shift  to  live.     He  took  pupils,  dealt  in  provi- 


294  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

sions,  sold  brandy,  groceries,  stockings,  leather,  tin  and  cop- 
per wares,  and  carried  on  wool-combing,  dyeing,  and  the  mak- 
ing of  calimancoes.  In  short,  he  was  a  "jack-of-all-trades;" 
and  his  following  so  many  callings  occasioned  so  much  jeal- 
ousy in  the  place,  that  he  was  cited  before  the  mayor  and  al- 
dermen as  an  interloper,  and  required  to  give  an  account  of 
himself.*  This  and  other  circumstances  determined  him  to 
give  up  business  in  Taunton — not,  however,  before  he  had  con- 
trived to  save  about  £1000  by  his  industry — and  to  enter  on 
the  life  of  a  pastor.  He  had  already  been  admitted  to  holy 
orders  by  the  French  Protestant  synod  at  Taunton,  and  in 
1694  he  left  that  town  for  Ireland  in  search  of  a  congrega- 
tion. 

Fontaine's  adventures  in  Ireland  were  still  more  remarka- 
ble than  those  he  had  experienced  in  England.  The  French 
refugees  established  at  Cork  had  formed  themselves  into  a 
congregation,  of  which  he  was  appointed  pastor  in  January, 

*  When  Fontaine  was  brought  before  the  mayor  (who  was  a  wool-comber), 
he  was  asked  if  he  had  served  an  apprenticeship  to  all  the  trades  he  cairied 
on.  Fontaine  repUed,  "Gentlemen,  in  France  a  man  is  esteemed  according 
to  his  qualifications,  and  men  of  letters  and  study  are  especially  honored  by 
every  body  if  they  conduct   themselves  A\'ith  propriety,  even  though  they 

should  not  be  worth  one  penny All  the  apprenticeshij)  I  liave  ever 

sen-ed,  from  the  age  of  four  years,  has  been  to  tuni  over  the  pages  of  a  book. 
I  took  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  and  then  de- 
voted myself  to  the  study  of  the  Holy  Scri])tures.  Hitherto  I  had  been 
thought  worthy  of  the  best  company  wherever  I  had  been  ;  but  Avhen  I  came 
to  this  towTi,  I  found  that  science  without  riches  was  regarded  as  a  cloud  with- 
out water,  or  a  tree  without  fruit — in  a  word,  a  thing  worthy  of  supreme  con- 
tempt ;  so  much  so,  that  if  a  poor  ignorant  wool-comber  or  a  hawker  amass- 
ed money  he  was  honored  by  all,  and  looked  up  to  as  first  in  the  jjlace.  I 
have  therefore,  gentlemen,  renounced  all  speculative  science ;  I  have  become 
a  wool-comber,  a  dealer  in  pins  and  laces,  ho))ing  that  I  may  one  day  attain 
wealth,  and  be  also  one  of  the  first  men  in  the  town." 

The  recorder  laid  down  the  law  in  favor  of  Fontaine:  "If  the  poor  refu- 
gees," said  he,  "who  have  abandoned  country,  friends,  property,  and  every 
thing  sweet  and  agreeable  in  this  life  for  their  religion  and  the  glory  of  tlie 
Gospel — if  they  had  not  the  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood,  the  jjarisli  wouid 
be  burdened  with  their  maintenance,  for  you  could  not  send  them  to  their 
birthplace.  The  parish  is  obliged  to  Mr.  Fontaine  for  everv'  morsel  of  i)read 
he  earns  for  his  family.  In  the  desire  he  has  to  live  independently,  he  hum- 
bles himself  so  far  as  to  become  a  tradesman,  a  thing  very  rarely  seen  among 
learned  men,  such  as  I  know  him  to  be  from  my  own  conversation  with  him. 
There  is  no  law  that  can  disturb  him." 

Fontaine  retired  from  the  court  amid  showers  of  benedictions. 


JAMES  FONTAINE.  295 

1695.  They  were,  however,  as  yet  too  poor  to  pay  him  any 
stipend ;  and,  in  order  to  support  himself,  as  well  as  to  turn 
to  account  the  £1000  which  he  had  saved  by  his  industry  and 
frugality  at  Taunton,  he  began  a  manufactory  of  broadcloth. 
This  gave  much  Avelcome  employment  to  the  laboring  poor 
of  the  city,  besides  contributing  toward  the  increase  of  its 
general  trade,  in  acknowledgment  of  which  the  corporation 
presented  him  Avith  the  freedom.  He  still  continued  to  offi- 
ciate as  pastor ;  but  one  day,  when  expounding  the  text  of 
"  Thou  shalt  not  steal,"  he  preached  so  effectively  as  to  make 
a  personal  enemy  of  a  member  of  his  congregation,  who,  un- 
known to  him,  had  been  engaged  in  a  swindling  transaction. 
The  result  was  so  much  dissension  in  the  congregation  that 
he  eventually  gave  up  the  charge. 

To  occupy  his  spare  time — for  Fontaine  Avas  a  man  of  an 
intensely  active  temperament,  unhappy  when  unemployed — 
he  took  a  farm  at  Bearhaven,  situated  at  the  entrance  to 
Bantry  Bay,  nearly  at  the  extreme  southwest  point  of  Mun- 
ster,  the  very  Land's  End  of  Ireland,  for  the  purpose  of  found- 
ing a  fishery.  The  idea  occurred  to  him,  as  it  has  since  to 
others,  that  there  Avere  many  hungry  people  on  land  waiting 
to  be  fed,  and  shoals  of  fish  at  sea  waiting  to  be  caught,  and 
that  it  Avould  be  a  useful  enterprise  to  form  a  fishing  com- 
pany, and  induce  the  idle  people  to  put  to  sea  and  catch  the 
fish,  selling  to  others  the  surplus  beyond  what  was  necessary 
to  feed  them.  Fontaine  succeeded  in  inducing  some  of  the 
French  merchants  settled  in  London  to  join  him  in  the  ven- 
ture, and  he  himself  went  to  reside  at  Bearhaven  to  superin- 
tend the  operations  of  the  company. 

Fontaine  failed,  as  other  Irish  fishing  companies  have  since 
failed.  The  people  Avould  rather  starve  than  go  to  sea,  for 
Celts  are  by  nature  aA'erse  to  salt  Avater;  and  the  conse- 
quence Avas  that  the  company  made  no  progress.  Fontaine 
had  even  to  defend  himself  against  the  pillaging  and  plun- 
derhig  of  the  natives.  He  then  brought  some  thirteen  French 
refugee  families  to  settle  in  the  neighborhood,  ha\dng  previ- 


296  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

ously  taken  small  farms  for  them,  including  Dursey  Island ; 
but  the  Irish  gave  them  no  peace  nor  rest,  and  they  left  him 
before  the  end  of  three  years.  The  local  court  would  give 
Fontaine  no  redress  when  any  injury  Avas  done  to  him.  If 
his  property  was  stolen,  and  he  appealed  to  the  court,  his 
complaint  was  referred  to  a  jury  of  papists,  who  invariably 
decided  against  him;  whereas,  if  the  natives  made  any  claim 
upon  him,  they  were  sure  to  recover. 

Notwitlistanding  these  great  discouragements,  Fontaine 
held  to  his  purpose,  and  determined,  if  possible,  to  establish 
his  fishing  station.  He  believed  that  time  Avould  Avork  in  his 
favor,  and  that  it  might  yet  be  possible  to  educate  the  peo- 
ple into  habits  of  industry.  He  Avas  well  svipported  by  the 
government,  Avho,  observing  his  zealous  efforts  to  establish  a 
ncAV  branch  of  industry,  and  desirous  of  giving  him  increased 
influence  in  his  neighborhood,  appointed  him  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  this  capacity  he  Avas  found  A^ery  useful  in  keeping 
doAvn  the  "Tories,"*  and  breaking  uj)  the  connections  be- 
tAveen  them  and  the  French  priA^ateers  Avho  then  frequented 
the  coast.  Knowing  his  liability  to  attack,  Fontaine  con- 
verted his  residence  into  a  sod  fort,  and  not  Avithout  cause, 
as  the  result  proved.  In  June,  1704,  a  French  privateer  en- 
tered Bantry  Bay  and  proceeded  to  storm  the  sod  fort.  The 
lame  Fontaine,  by  the  courage  and  ability  of  his  defense, 
shoAved  himself  a  commander  of  no  mean  skill.  John  Macli- 
ney,  a  Scotchman,  and  Paul  Roussier,  a  French  refugee,  show- 
ed great  bravery  on  the  occasion  ;  while  Madame  Fontaine, 
Avho  acted  as  aid-de-camp  and  surgeon,  distinguished  herself 
by  her  quiet  courage.  The  engagement  lasted  from  eight  in 
the  morning  until  four  in  the  afternoon,  Avhen  the  French  de- 
camped Avith  the  loss  of  three  killed  and  seven  Avounded, 
spreading  abroad  a  very  Avholesome  fear  of  Fontaine  and  his 
sod  fort. 

*  The  Tories  were  Irish  robbers  or  banditti  who  lived  by  jjhindcr ;  the 
word  being  deri\ed  from  the  Irish  word  Toruighuin,  "to  pursue  for  pur- 
poses of  violence." 


JAMES  FONTAINE.  297 


When  the  refugee's  gallant  exploit  was  reported  to  the 
government,  he  was  rewarded  by  a  pension  of  five  shillings  a 
day  for  beating  off  the  privateer,  and  supplied  with  five  guns, 
which  he  was  authorized  to  mount  on  his  battery. 

Fontaine  was  now  allowed  to  hold  his  post  unmolested. 
It  M^as  at  the  remotest  corner  of  the  island,  far  from  any 
town,  and  surrounded  by  a  hostile  population,  in  league  with 
the  enemy,  whose  ships  were  constantly  hovering  about  the 
cbast.  In  the  year  following  the  above  engagement,  Avhile 
Fontaine  himself  was  absent  in  London,  a  French  ship  enter- 
ed Bantry  Bay  and  cautiously  approached  Bearhaven,  Fon- 
taine's wife  was,  however,  on  the  look-out,  and  detected  the 
foreigner.  She  had  the  guns  loaded  and  one  of  them  fired 
off"  to  show  that  the  little  garrison  was  on  the  alert.  The 
Frenchman  then  veered  off  and  made  for  Bear  Island,  where 
a  party  of  the  crew  landed,  stole  some  cattle,  which  they  put 
on  board,  and  sailed  away  again. 

A  more  serious  assault  was  made  on  the  fort  about  two 
years  later.  A  company  of  soldiers  was  tlien  quartered  at 
the  Half  Barony  in  the  neigliborhood,  the  captain  of  which 
boarded  with  the  refugee  family.  On  the  7th  of  October, 
1708,  during  the  temporary  absence  of  Fontaine  as  Avell  as 
the  captain,  a  French  privateer  made  his  appearance  in  the 
haven,  and  hoisted  English  colors.  The  ensign  residing  in 
the  fort  at  the  time,  deceived  by  the  stratagem,  went  on 
board,  when  he  was  immediately  made  a  prisoner.  Pie  was 
plied  with  drink  and  became  intoxicated,  when  he  revealed 
the  fact  that  there  was  no  officer  in  command  of  the  fort. 
The  crew  of  the  privateer  were  principally  Irish,  and  they  de- 
termined to  attack  the  place  at  midnight,  for  which  purpose 
a  party  of  them  landed.  Fontaine  had,  however,  by  this 
time  returned,  and  was  on  the  alert.  He  hailed  the  advanc- 
ing party  through  a  speaking-trumpet,  and  no  answer  being 
returned,  he  ordered  fire  to  be  opened  on  them.  The  assail- 
ants then  divided  into  six  detachments,  one  of  which  set  fire 
to  the  offices  and  stables ;  the  household  servants,  under  the 


298  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

direction  of  Madame  Fontaine,  protecting  the  dwelling-house 
from  conflagration.  The  men  within  fired  from  the  windows 
and  loopholes,  but  the  smoke  was  so  thick  that  they  could 
only  fire  at  random.  Some  of  the  privateer's  men  succeeded 
in  making  a  breach  with  a  crowbar  in  the  wall  of  the  house, 
but  they  were  saluted  with  so  rapid  a  fire  through  the  open- 
ing that  they  suspected  there  must  be  a  party  of  soldiers  in 
the  house,  and  they  retired.  Tliey  advanced  again,  and  sum- 
moned the  besieged  to  surrender,  oflering  fair  terms.  Fon- 
taine approached  the  French  for  the  purpose  of  parley,  when 
one  of  the  Irish  lieutenants  took  aim  and  fired  at  him.  This 
treachery  made  the  Fontaines  resume  the  defensive,  which 
they  continued  without  intermission  for  some  hours ;  when, 
no  help  arriving,  Fontaine  found  himself  under  the  necessity 
of  surrendering,  conditional  upon  himself  and  his  two  sons, 
with  their  two  followers,  marching  out  with  the  honors  of  war. 
No  sooner,  however,  had  the  house  been  surrendered,  than 
Fontaine,  his  sons,  and  their  followers  were  at  once  made 
prisoners,  and  the  dwelling  was  given  up  to  plunder. 

Fontaine  protested  against  this  violation  of  the  treaty,  but 
it  was  of  no  use.  The  leader  of  the  French  party  said  to  him, 
"  Your  name  has  become  so  notorious  among  the  privateers 
ofSt.  Malo  that  I  dare  not  return  to  the  vessel  without  you. 
Tlie  captain's  order  was  peremptory  to  bring  you  on  board, 
dead  or  alive."  Fontaine  and  his  sons  were  accordingly  taken 
on  board  as  prisoners ;  and  when  he  appeared  on  the  deck, 
the  crew  set  up  a  shout  of"  Vive  le  Roi."  On  this,  Fontaine 
called  out  to  them,  "  Gentlemen,  how  long  is  it  since  victories 
have  become  so  rare  in  France  that  you  need  to  make  a  tri- 
umph of  such  an  afiair  as  this  ?  A  glorioxis  feat  indeed ! 
Eighty  men,  accustomed  to  war,  have  succeeded  in  compell- 
ing one  poor  pastor,  four  cowherds,  and  five  children,  to  sur- 
render upon  terms !"  Fontaine  again  expostulated  with  the 
captain,  and  inforaied  him  that,  being  held  a  prisoner  in  breach 
of  the  treaty  under  which  he  had  surrendered,  he  must  be  pre- 
pared for  the  retaliation   of  the  English  government  upon 


JAMES  FONTAINE.  299 


French  prisoners  of  war.  The  captain  would  not,  however, 
give  np  Fontaine  without  a  ransom,  and  demanded  £100. 
Madame  Fontaine  contrived  to  borrow  £30,  and  sent  it  to  the 
cajjtain,  with  a  promise  of  the  remainder ;  but  the  captain 
could  not  wait,  and  he  liberated  Fontaine,  but  carried  off  his 
son  Pierre  to  St.  Malo  as  a  hostage  for  the  payment  of  the 
balance. 

When  the  news  of  this  attack  of  the  fort  at  Bearhaven 
reached  the  English  government,  and  they  were  informed  of 
the  violation  of  the  conditions  under  which  Fontaine  had  sur- 
rendered, they  ordered  the  French  officers  at  Kinsale  and 
Plymouth  to  be  put  in  irons  until  Fontaine's  son  was  sent  back. 
This  produced  an  immediate  effect.  In  the  course  of  a  few 
months  Pierre  Fontaine  was  set  at  liberty  and  returned  to  his 
parents,  and  the  balance  of  the  ransom  was  never  claimed. 
The  commander  of  the  forces  in  Ireland  made  Fontaine  an 
immediate  grant  of  £100,  to  relieve  him  in  the  destitute  state 
to  which  he  had  been  reduced  by  the  plunder  of  his  dwelling ; 
the  county  of  Cork  afterward  paid  him  £800  as  damages  on 
its  being  proved  that  Irishmen  had  been  principally  concerned 
in  the  attack  and  robbery ;  and  Fontaine's  two  sons  were 
awarded  the  position  and  rights  of  half-pay  officers,  while  his 
own  pension  was  continued.  The  fort  at  Bearhaven,  having 
been  completely  desolated,  was  abandoned ;  and  Fontaine, 
with  the  grant  made  him  by  government,  and  the  sum  award- 
ed him  by  the  county,  left  the  lawless  neighborhood  which  he 
had  so  long  labored  to  improve  and  to  defend,  and  proceeded 
to  Dublin,  where  he  settled  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a 
teacher  of  languages,  mathematics,  and  fortification.  The 
school  proved  highly  successful,  and  he  ended  his  days  in 
peace.  His  noble  wife  died  in  1721,  and  he  himself  followed 
lier  shortly  after,  respected  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him.* 

*  Nearly  all  Fontaine's  near  relatives  took  refuge  in  England.  His  mother 
and  three  of  his  brothers  were  refugees  in  London.  One  of  them  aftei-ward 
became  a  Protestant  minister  in  Germany.  One  of  his  uncles,  Peter,  was 
pastor  of  the  Pest  House  Chapel  in  London.     Two  aunts — one  a  widow,  the 


300  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

We  return  to  the  subject  of  the  settlements  made  by  other 
refiigees  in  the  southern  parts  of  Ireland,  In  1697,  about  fif- 
ty retired  officers,  who  had  served  in  the  army  of  William  HI., 
settled  with  their  families  at  Youghal,  on  the  invitation  of 
the  mayor  and  corporation,  who  ofiered  them  the  freedom  of 
the  town  on  payment  of  the  nominal  sum  of  sixpence  each. 
It  does  not  appear  that  the  refugees  Avere  sufficiently  numer- 
ous to  maintain  a  pastor,  though  the  Rev.  Arthur  d'Anvers 
for  some  time  privately  ministered  to  them.  From  the  cir- 
cumstance principally  of  their  comparatively  small  number, 
they  speedily  ceased  to  exist  as  a  distinctive  portion  of  the 
community,  though  names  of  French  origin  are  still  common 
in  the  towni,  and  many  occur  in  the  local  registers  of  births, 
marriages,  and  deaths,  of  about  a  hundred  years  ago. 

The  French  refugee  colony  at  Waterford  was  of  considera- 
bly greater  importance.  Being  favorably  situated  for  trade 
near  the  mouth  of  the  River  Suir,  with  a  rich  agricultural 
country  behind  it,  that  town  offered  many  inducements  to  the 
refugee  merchants  and  traders  to  settle  there.  In  the  act 
passed  by  the  Irish  Parliament  in  1662,  and  re-enacted  in  1672, 
"  for  encouraging  Protestant  strangers  and  others  to  inhabit 
Ireland,"  Waterford  is  specially  named  as  one  of  the  cities  se- 
lected for  the  settlement  of  the  refugees.  Some  twenty  years 
later,  in  1693,  the  corporation  of  Waterford,  bemg  desirous 
not  only  that  the  disbanded  Huguenot  officers  and  soldiei*s 
should  settle  in  the  place,  but  also  that  those  skilled  in  arts 
and  manufactures  should  become  citizens,  ordered  "  that  the 
city  and  liberties  do  provide  habitations  for  fifty  families  of 


other  married  to  a  refugee  merchant — were  also  settled  in  London.  Fon- 
taine's sons  and  daughters  mostly  emigrated  to  Virginia,  where  their  descend- 
ants are  still  to  be  found.  His  daughter  Mary  Anne  married  the  Kev.  James 
Maury,  Fredericksville  Parish,  Louisa  County,  Virginia,  from  whom  Matthew- 
Fontaine  Maury.  LL. I).,  lately  Captain  in  the  Confederate  States  Na%y,  antl 
author  of  The  Physical  Giographij  of  the  Sea,  is  lineally  descended.  The 
above  facts  are  taken  from  the  ''''Memoirs  of  a  Hnr/neiiot  /■'n;/;////,  translateil 
and  com])iled  from  the  original  Autobiography  of  tlie  Hev.  .James  Fontaine, 
and  other  family  manuscripts,  by  Ann  Maury"  (another  of  the  descendants 
of  Fontaine)  :  JN'ew  York,  1853. 


COL  ONY  A  T  WA  TERFORD.  80 1 

the  French  Protestants  to  drive  a  trade  of  linen  manufacture, 
they  bringing  with  them  a  stock  of  money  and  materials  for 
their  subsistence  until  flax  can  be  sown  and  produced  on  the 
lands  adjacent;  and  that  the  freedom  of  the  city  be  given 
them  gratis.''''  At  the  same  time,  the  choir  of  the  old  Fran- 
ciscan monastery  was  assigned  to  them,  with  the  assent  of  the 
bishop,  for  the  purpose  of  a  French  church,  the  corporation 
guaranteeing  a  stipend  of  £40  a  year  toward  the  support  of 
a  pastor. 

These  liberal  measures  had  the  effect  of  inducing  a  consid- 
erable number  of  refugees  to  establish  themselves  at  Water- 
ford,  and  carry  on  various  branches  of  trade  and  manufacture. 
Some  of  them  became  leading  merchants  in  the  place,  and  rose 
to  Avcalth  and  distinction.  Thus  John  Espaignet  was  sheriff 
of  the  city  in  1707,  and  the  two  brothers  Vashon  served,  the 
one  as  mayor  in  1726,  the  other  as  sheriff  in  1735.  The  for- 
eign wine-trade  of  the  south  oflrelend  was  almost  exclusively 
conducted  through  Waterford  by  the  French  wine-merchants, 
some  of  their  principal  stores  being  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  the  French  church.  The  refugees  also  made  vig- 
orous efforts  to  establish  the  linen  manufacture  in  Waterford, 
in  which  they  were  encouraged  by  the  Irish  Parliament ;  and 
for  many  years  linen  was  one  of  the  staple  trades  of  the  j^lace, 
though  it  has  ceased  since  the  introduction  of  jDower-looms. 

Another  colony  of  the  refugees  was  established  at  Portar- 
lington,  which  town  they  may  almost  be  said  to  have  found- 
ed. The  first  settlers  consisted  principally  of  retired  French 
officers  as  well  as  privates,  who  had  served  in  the  army  of 
King  William.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  formation  of  this  colony  by  the 
Marquis  de  Ruvigny,  created  Earl  of  Galway,  to  whom  Wil- 
liam granted  the  estate  of  Portarlington,  whicli  had  become 
forfeited  to  the  crown  by  the  treason  and  outlawry  of  Sir  Pat- 
rick Grant,  its  former  owner.  Although  the  grant  was  re- 
voked by  the  English  Parliament,  and  the  earl  ceased  to  own 
the  Portarlington  estate,  he  nevertheless  continued  to  take  the 


302  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

same  warm  interest  as  before  iu  the  prosperity  of  the  refugee 
colony,* 

Among  the  early  settlers  at  Portarlington  were  the  Mar- 
quis de  Paray,  the  Sieur  de  Hauteville,  Louis  le  Blanc,  Sieur 
de  Perce,  Charles  de  Ponthieu,  Captain  d'Alnuis  and  his 
brother,  Abel  Pelissier,  David  d'Arripe,  Ruben  de  la  Roche- 
foucauld, the  Sieur  de  la  Boissiere,  Guy  de  la  Blachiere  de 
Bonneval,  Dumont  de  Bostaquet,  Franquefort,  Chateauneuf, 
La  Beaume,  Montpeton  du  Languedoc,  Vicomte  de  Laval, 
Pierre  Goulin,  Jean  la  Ferriere,  De  Gaudry,  Jean  Lafaurie, 
Abel  de  Ligonier  de  Vignolles,f  Anthoine  de  Ligonier,  and 
numerous  others. 

The  greater  number  of  these  noblemen  and  gentlemen  had 
served  Avith  distinction  under  the  Duke  of  Schomberg,  La 
Melonniere,  La  Caillemotte,  Cambon,  and  other  commanders, 
in  the  service  of  William  III,  They  had  been  for  tlie  most 
part  men  of  considerable  estate  in  their  own  country,  and 
were  now  content  to  live  as  exiles  on  the  half-pay  granted 
them  by  the  country  of  their  adoption.  When  they  first 
came  into  the  neighborhood  the  town  of  Portarlington  could 
scarcely  be  said  to  exist.  The  village  of  Cootletoodra,  as  it 
was  formerly  called,  Avas  only  a  collection  of  miserable  huts 

*  The  Bulletin  de  la  Soci^t^de  rHistoire  du  Protestantisme  Franfciis  (1 8()1 , 
p,  GD)  contains  a  lettei-  addressed  by  the  Earl  of  Galway  to  David  Barbnt,  a 
refugee  residing  at  Berne,  in  January,  l(j93,  wherein  he  informs  him  that  King 
William  is  greatly  concerned  at  the  distress  of  tlie  French  refugees  in  Switz- 
erland, and  desires  that  GOO  families  should  proceed  to  Ireland  and  settle 
there.  He  adds  that  the  king  has  recommended  the  Protestant  princes  of 
Germany  and  the  States-General  of  Holland  to  pay  the  expense  of  the  trans- 
port of  these  families  to  the  sea-board,  after  which  the  means  would  be  pro- 
vided for  their  embarkation  into  Ireland.  "The  king,"  said  he,  "is  so 
touched  at  the  misery  with  which  these  families  are  threatened  where  they  are, 
and  perceives  so  clearly  how  valuable  their  settlement  would  be  in  his  kingdom 
of  Ireland,  that  he  is  resolved  to  provide  all  the  money  that  maybe  required 
for  the  purpose.  We  must  not  lose  any  time  in  the  matter,  and  I  hoi)e  that 
by  the  month  of  April,  or  May  at  the  latest,  these  families  will  be  on  their 
way  to  join  us." 

t  The  Des  Vignolles  were  of  noble  birth,  descended  from  the  celebrated 
Estienne  des  Vignolles  of  Languedoc,  where  the  fiimily  possessed  large  estates. 
Two  brothers  of  the  name  were  Huguenot  officers  who  served  under  Willian 
III.  Charles  Vignolles,  C.  E.,  is  descended  from  the  elder  brother,  and  the 
Dean  of  Ossory  from  the  younger. 


COL  ONY  A  T  FOR  TABLING  TON.  303 

unfit  for  human  residence ;  .and  until  the  dwellings  designed 
for  the  reception  of  the  exiles  by  the  Earl  of  Galway  could 
be  built,  they  resided  in  the  adjoining  villages  of  Doolough, 
Monasterevin,  Clone ygown,  and  the  ancient  village  of  Lea. 

The  new  Portarlington  shortly  became  the  model  town  of 
the  district.  The  dwellings  of  the  strangers  were  distinguish- 
ed  for  their  neatness  and  comfort,  and  their  farms  and  gar- 
dens were  patterns  of  tidiness  and  high  culture.  They  intro- 
duced new  fruit-trees  from  abroad ;  among  others,  the  black 
Italian  walnut  and  the  jargonelle  pear,  specimens  of  Avliich 
still  flourish  at  Portarlington  in  vigorous  old  age.  The  orig- 
inal planter  of  these  trees  fought  at  tlie  Boyne  as  an  ensign 
in  the  regiment  of  La  Melonniere.  The  immigrants  also  in- 
troduced the  "  espalier"  with  great  success,  and  their  fruit 
became  widely  celebrated.  Another  favorite  branch  of  cult- 
ure was  flowers,  of  which  they  imported  many  new  sorts, 
while  their  vegetables  were  unmatched  in  Ireland. 

The  exiles  formed  a  highly  select  society,  composed  as  it 
was  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  liigh  culture,  of  pure  morals, 
and  of  gentle  birth  and  manners,  so  difierent  from  the  roy- 
stering  Irish  gentry  of  the  time.  Though  they  had  sufiered 
grievous  wrongs  at  the  hands  of  their  country,  they  were 
contented,  cheerful,  and  even  gay.  Traditions  still  exist  of 
the  military  refugees,  in  their  scarlet  cloaks,  sitting  in  groups 
under  the  old  oaks  in  the  market-place,  sipping  tea  out  of 
their  small  china  cups.  They  had  also  their  balls,  and  ordi- 
naries, and  "  ridottos"  (places  of  pleasant  resort),  and  a  great 
deal  of  pleasant  visiting  went  on  among  them.  They  con- 
tinued to  enjoy  their  favorite  wine  of  Bordeaux,  which  was 
imported  for  them  in  considerable  quantities  by  their  fellow- 
exiles,  the  French  wine-merchants  of  Waterford  and  Dublin.* 

*  Thus  we  find  Monsieur  Pennetes,  a,  Dublin  wine-merchant,  sending  to  a 
Portarlington  colonist  in  1726  "3  gals.  Frontignac  at  *'>s.  ;  oxhead  of  clar- 
ate,  prise  agreed,  £11  ;  a  dousen  of  wine,  lis.;  oxhead  of  Benicarlo  at  2.9. 
HfZ.  per  gal.,  allowing  (^i  gals.,  corns  to  £8;  une  demy-harrique  de  selle  de 
France,  0.?."  In  17.57,  Joshua  Pilot,  a  retired  paymaster  and  surgeon  in 
Battereau's  regiment,  imported  largely  direct  from  Messrs.  Barton  and  Co. 
of  Bordeaux. — iSir  E.  D.  Burough  in  Ulster  Journal  of  Archaologij. 


304  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

There  were  also  numerous  refugees  of  humbler  class  set- 
tled in  the  place,  Avho  carried  on  various  trades.  Thus  the 
Fouberts  carried  on  a  manufacture  of  linen,  and  many  of  the 
minor  tradesmen  were  French  —  bakers,  butchers,  masons, 
smiths,  carpenters,  tailors,  and  shoemakers.  The  Blancs, 
butchers,  transmitted  the  business  from  father  to  son  for 
more  than  150  years;  and  they  are  still  recognizable  at 
Portarlington  under  the  name  of  Blong.  The  Micheaus, 
farmers,  had  been  tenants  on  the  estates  of  the  Robillard  fam- 
ily in  Champagne,  and  they  were  now  tenants  of  the  same 
family  at  Portarlington,  One  of  the  Micheaus  was  sexton  of 
the  French  church  of  the  town  until  within  the  last  few  years. 
La  Borde  the  mason,  Capel  the  blacksmith,  and  Gautier  the 
carpenter,  came  from  the  neighborhood  of  Bordeaux ;  and 
their  handiwork,  much  of  which  still  exists  at  Portarlington 
and  the  neighborhood,  bears  indications  of  their  foreign 
training. 

The  refugees,  as  was  their  invariable  practice  where  they 
settled  in  sufficient  numbers,  early  formed  themselves  into  a 
congregation  at  Portarlington,  and  a  church  Avas  erected  for 
their  accommodation,  in  which  a  long  succession  of  able  min- 
isters officiated,  the  last  of  whom  was  Charles  de  Yignolles,* 

*  The  register  of  the  French  church  at  Portarlington  is  still  preserved. 
It  commenced  in  1G'.»-1,  and  records  the  names,  famihes,  and  localities  in 
France  from  whence  the  refugees  came.  "  The  first  volume  of  the  register," 
says  Sir  E.  I).  Burough,  "still  wears  the  coarse  and  primitive  brown  paper 
cover  in  which  it  was  originally  invested  by  its  foreign  guardians  1()1  years 
since.  One  side  bears  the  following  inscription  in  large  capitals  :  Livr.  .  , 
.  .  .  Des  Bapt Mariag Et  Enterrements,  16134." 

The  following  is  the  list  of  pastors  of  the  French  chm-ch  : 
Depuis  101)4—1(596,  Gillet.  ] 

5  Octre.   16116 —  Belaquiere.  | 

1  Deere.  1606-1698,  Gillet.  SCilvinista 

15  May,     1698—161)8,  Diirassus.  j>vai\misig. 

Ducasse.  I 

26Juin,     1698-1702,  Daillon.  J 

3  Octre.   1702— 1729,  De  Bonneval.  1 
14  Augt.    1729-1789,  Des  Vceux. 

1 6  Febre.  1 7;!9-40— 1 767,  Caillard.  (   .  „„,.<,„„ 

2  Sep.      1 7(57-1 79;?,  D^s  Va^ux.  >Anglicans. 
Jan.      1 793—1 817,  Vignolles  pere. 

1817 —  Charles  Vignolles ^/s. 


THE  COL  ONY  A  T  POR  TABLING  TON.  c05 

afterward  Dean  of  Ossory,  The  service  was  conducted  in 
French  down  to  the  year  1817,  since  which  it  has  been  dis- 
continued, the  language  having  by  that  time  become  an  al- 
most unknown  tongue  in  the  neighborhood. 

Besides  a  church,  the  refugees  also  possessed  a  school, 
which  enjoyed  a  high  reputation  for  the  classical  education 
which  it  provided  for  the  rising  generation.  At  an  early 
period  the  boys  seem  to  have  been  clothed  as  well  as  edu- 
cated, the  memorandum-book  of  an  old  officer  of  tlie  Boyne 
containing  an  entry,  April  20th,  172  7,  "making  six  sutes  of 
cloths  for  ye  blewbois,  at  18  pee.  per  sutc,  00  :  09  :  00."  M. 
Le  Fevre,  founder  of  the  Charter  Schools,  was  the  first  school- 
master in  Portarlington.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  father 
of  Sterne's  "  poor  sick  lieutenant."*  The  Bonnevaux  and 
Tersons  were  also  among  the  subsequent  teachers,  and  many 
of  the  princij^al  Protestant  families  of  Ireland  passed  under 
their  hands.  Among  the  more  distinguished  men  who  re- 
ceived the  best  part  of  their  education  at  Portarlington  may 
be  mentioned  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley  and  his  brother  the 
Earl  of  Mornington,  the  Marquis  of  Westmeath,  the  Honora- 
ble John  Wilson  Croker,  Sir  Henry  Ellis  (of  the  British  Mu- 
seum), Daniel  W.  Webber,  and  many  others. 

Lady  Morgan,  referring  in  her  Memoirs  to  the  French  col- 
ony at  Portarlington,  observes :  "  The  dispersion  of  the 
French  Huguenots,  who  settled  in  great  numbers  in  Ireland, 
was  one  of  the  greatest  boons  conferred  by  the  misgovern- 
ment  of  other  countries  upon  our  own.  Eminent  preachers, 
eminent  lawyers,  and  clever  statesmen,  whose  names  are  not 
unknown  to  the  literature  and  science  of  France,  occupied 
high  places  in  the  professions  in  Dublin.     Of  these  I  may 


*  The  Portarlington  Register  contains  the  follow-ing  record:  "Sepulture 
du  Dimanche  23^  Mars,  1717-18.  Le  Famedy  22'=  du  present  mois  entre 
minuet  et  une  heure,  est  mort  en  la  foy  du  Seigneur  et  dans  I'espe'rance  de  la 
glorieuse  resurrection,  Monsieur  f  avre,  Lieutenant  a  la  pention,  dont  Tame 
estait  allee  a  Dieu,  son  corps  a  ete  enterre'  ))ar  Monsieur  Bonneval.  ministre 
de  cette  Eglise  dans  le  cemitiere  de  ce  lieu.  A.  Ligonier  Bonneval,  min. 
Louis  Buliod. " 

u 


306  SETTLEMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 

mention,  as  personal  acquaintances,  the  Saurins,  the  Le  Fa- 
nus,  Espinasses,  Favers,  Corneilles,  Le  Bas,  and  many  others, 
whose  families  still  remain  in  the  Irish  metropolis."* 

It  is  indeed  to  be  regretted  that  the  settlements  of  the  refu- 
gee French  and  Flemings  in  Ireland  were  so  much  smaller 
than  those  which  they  eifected  in  different  parts  of  England, 
otherwise  the  condition  of  that  unfortunate  country  would 
probably  have  been  very  diiferent  from  what  Ave  now  find  it. 
The  only  part  of  Ireland  in  which  the  Huguenots  left  a  jDcr- 
nianent  imjDression  was  in  the  north,  where  the  branches  of 
industry  which  they  jjlanted  took  firm  root,  and  continue  to 
flourish  with  extraordinary  vigor  to  this  day.  But  in  the 
south  it  was  very  difierent.  Though  the  natural  facilities 
for  trade  at  Cork,  Limerick,  and  Waterford  were  much  great- 
er than  those  of  the  northern  towns,  the  refugees  never  ob- 
tained any  firm  footing  or  made  any  satisfactory  progress  in 
that  quarter,  and  their  colonies  there  only  maintained  a  sick- 
ly existence,  and  gradually  fell  into  decay.  One  has  only  to 
look  at  Belfast  and  the  busy  hives  of  industry  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, and  note  the  condition  of  the  northern  province  of 
Ulster — existing  under  precisely  the  same  laws  as  govern  the 
south — to  observe  how  seriously  the  social  progress  of  Ire- 
land has  been  effected  by  the  want  of  that  remunerative  em- 
ployment which  the  refugees  were  so  instrumental  in  provid- 
ing in  all  the  districts  in  which  they  settled,  wherever  they 
found  a  population  willing  to  be  taught  by  them,  and  to  fol- 
low in  the  path  which  they  undeviatingly  pursued,  of  peace- 
ful, contented,  and  honorable  industry. 

*  Lady  Morgan — Memoirs,  i.,  lOG. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

DESCENDANTS    OF   THE    REFUGEES. 

Although  300  years  have  passed  since  the  first  religious 
persecutions  in  Flanders  and  France  compelled  so  large  a 
number  of  Protestants  to  fly  from  those  countries  and  take 
refuge  in  England,  and  although  180  years  have  passed  since 
the  second  great  emigration  from  France  took  place  in  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  the  descendants  of  the  "gentle  and  prof- 
itable strangers"  are  still  recognizable  among  us.  In  the 
course  of  the  generations  which  have  come  and  gone  since  the 
dates  of  their  original  settlement,  they  have  labored  diligent- 
ly and  skillfully,  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  British  trade, 
commerce,  and  manufactures,  while  there  is  scarcely  a  branch 
of  literature,  science,  and  art  in  which  they  have  not  distin- 
guished themselves. 

Three  hundred  years  form  a  long  period  in  the  life  of  a  na- 
tion. During  that  time  many  of  the  distinctive  characteris- 
tics of  the  original  refugees  must  necessarily  have  become  el- 
faced  in  the  persons  of  their  descendants.  Indeed,  by  far  the 
greater  number  of  them  before  long  became  completely  An- 
glicized, and  ceased  to  be  traceable  except  by  their  names, 
and  even  these  have  for  the  most  part  become  converted  into 
names  of  English  sound. 

So  long  as  the  foreigners  continued  to  cherish  the  hope  of 
returning  to  their  native  country  on  the  possible  cessation  of 
the  persecutions  there,  they  waited  and  worked  on  with  that 
end  in  view;  but  as  the  persecutions  only  waxed  hotter,  they 
at  length  gradually  gave  up  all  hope  of  return.  They  claimed 
and  obtained  letters  of  naturalization ;  and  though  many  of 
them  continued  for  several  generations  to  worship  in  their  na- 
tive language,  they  were  content  to  live  and  die  English  sub- 


308  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

jects.  Their  children  grew  up  amid  English  associations,  and 
they  desired  to  forget  that  their  fathers  had  been  fugitives 
and  foreigners  in  the  land.  They  cared  not  to  remember  the 
language  or  to  retain  the  names  which  marked  them  as  dis- 
tinct from  the  people  among  whom  they  lived,  and  hence 
many  of  the  descendants  of  the  refugees,  in  the  second  or 
third  generation,  abandoned  their  foreign  names,  while  they 
gradually  ceased  to  frequent  the  distinctive  places  of  worship 
which  their  fathers  had  founded. 

Indeed,  many  of  the  first  Flemings  had  no  sooner  settled 
in  England  and  become  naturalized  than  they  threw  off  their 
foreign  names  and  assumed  English  ones  instead.  Thus,  as 
we  have  seen,  Hoek,  the  Flemish  brewer  in  Southwark,  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Leeke ;  while  Haestricht,  the  Flemish 
manufacturer  at  Bow,  took  that  of  James.  Mr.  Pryme,  for- 
merly professor  of  political  economy  in  the  University  of 
Cambridge,  and  representative  of  that  town  in  Parliament, 
whose  ancestors  were  refugees  from  Ypres,  in  Flanders,  has 
informed  us  that  his  grandfather  dropped  the  "  de  la"  origi- 
nally prefixed  to  the  family  name  in  consequence  of  the  strong 
anti-Gallican  feeling  which  prevailed  in  this  country  during 
the  Seven  Years'  War  of  1756-63,  though  his  son  has  since  as- 
sumed it ;  and  the  same  circumstance  doubtless  led  many  oth- 
ers to  change  their  foreign  names  to  those  of  English  sound. 

Nevertheless,  a  large  number  of  purely  Flemish  names, 
though  it  may  be  with  English  modifications,  are  still  to  be 
found  in  various  pai'ts  of  England  and  Ireland  where  the 
foreigners  originally  settled.  These  have  been,  on  the  whole, 
better  preserved  in  rural  districts  than  in  London,  where  the 
social  friction  was  greater,  and  more  s^Deedily  rubbed  off"  the 
foreign  peculiarities.  In  the  lace  towns  of  the  west  of  En- 
gland, such  names  as  Raymond,  Spiller,  Brock,  Stocker,  Groot, 
Rochett,  and  Kettel  are  still  common,  and  the  same  trade  has 
continued  in  their  families  for  many  generations.  The  Wal- 
loon Goupes,  who  settled  in  Wiltshire  as  cloth-makers  more 
than  300  years  since,  are  still  known  there  as  the  Guppys. 


THE  DES  BOU{ 'ER  i 'ES-  -  THE  HUGESSENS.  309 

In  the  account  of  the  early  refugee  Protestants  given  in 
the  preceding  pages,  it  has  been  pointed  out  that  the  first 
settlers  in  England  came  principally  from  Lille,  Turcoing, 
and  the  towns  situated  along  both  sides  of  the  present 
French  frontier — the  country  of  the  French  Walloons,  but 
then  subject  to  the  crowm  of  Spain.  Among  the  first  of 
these  refugees  was  one  Laurent  des  Bouveryes,*  a  native  of 
Sainghin,  near  Lille.  He  first  settled  at  Sandwich  as  a  maker 
of  serges  in  15Q1,  after  which,  in  the  following  year,  he  re- 
moved to  Canterbury  to  join  the  Walloon  settlement  there. 
The  Des  Bouveryes  family  prospered  greatly.  In  the  third 
generation,  we  find  Edward,  grandson  of  the  refugee,  a 
wealthy  Turkey  merchant  of  London.  In  the  fourth  gen- 
eration, the  head  of  the  family  was  created  a  baronet ;  in 
the  fifth,  a  viscount ;  and  in  the  sixth,  an  earl ;  the  original 
Laurent  des  Bouveryes  being  at  this  day  represented  in  the 
House  of  Lords  by  the  Earl  of  Radnor. 

About  the  same  time  that  the  Des  Bouveryes  came  into 
England  from  Lille,  the  Hugessens  arrived  from  Dunkirk 
and  settled  at  Dover.  They  afterward  removed  to  Sand- 
wich, where  the  family  prospered ;  and  in  course  of  a  few 
generations  we  find  them  enrolled  among  the  country  aris- 
tocracy of  Kent,  and  their  name  borne  by  the  ancient  family 
of  the  Knatchbulls.  It  is  not  the  least  remarkable  circum- 
stance connected  with  this  family  that  a  member  of  it  now 
represents  the  borough  of  Sandwich,  one  of  the  earliest  seats 
of  the  refugees  in  England. 

Among  other  notable  Flemish  immigrants  may  be  num- 
bered the  Houblons,  who  gave  the  Bank  of  England  its  first 
governor,  and  from  one  of  whose  daughters  the  late  Lord 
Palmerston  was  lineally  descended.f    The  Van  Sittarts,  Jan- 

*  The  Bouveries  were  men  of  mark  in  their  native  countiy.  Thus,  in  the 
Hist  aire  de  Cambray  et  du  Carnbrensis,  published  in  1664,  it  is  stated,  "La 
famille  de  Bouverie  est  reconnu  passer  plusiers  siecles  entre  les  patrices  de 
Cambray." 

t  Anne,  sister  and  heir  of  Sir  Richard  Hublon,  was  married  to  Henry  Tem- 
ple, created  Lord  Pahnerston  in  1722. 


310  DESCENJjANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

sens,  Courteens,  Van  Milderts,  Vanlores,  Corsellis,  and  Van- 
necks*  were  widely  and  honorably  known  in  their  day  as 
London  bankers  or  merchants.  Sir  Matthew  Decker,  besides 
being  eminent  as  a  London  merchant,  was  distinguished  for 
the  excellence  of  his  writings  on  commercial  subjects,  then 
little  understood ;  and  he  made  a  uselul  member  of  Parlia- 
ment, having  been  elected  for  Bishop's  Castle  in  1V19. 

Various  members  of  the  present  landed  gentry  trace  their 
descent  from  the  Flemish  refugees.  Thus  Jacques  Iloste, 
the  founder  of  the  present  family  (represented  by  Sir  W.  L.  S. 
Hoste,  Bart,),  fled  from  Bruges,  of  which  his  father  was  gov- 
ernor, in  1569;  the  Tyssens  (now  represented  by  W.  G.Tys- 
sen  Amhurst,  Esq.,  of  Foulden)  fled  from  Ghent ;  and  the 
Crusos  of  Norfolk  fled  from  Hownescout  in  Flanders,  all  to 
take  refuge  in  England. 

Among  artists,  architects,  and  engineers  of  Flemish  descent 
we  find  Grinling  Gibbons,  the  wood  sculptor ;  Mark  Gerrard, 
the  portrait  painter ;  Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  the  architect  and 
play-writer ;  Richard  Cosway,  R. A.,f  the  miniature  painter ; 
and  Sir  Cornelius  Vermuyden  and  Westerdyke,  the  engineers 
employed  in  the  reclamation  of  the  droAvned  lands  in  the  Fen 
districts.  The  Tradescants,  the  celebrated  antiquarians,  were 
also  of  the  same  origin.  J 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  families  in  the  Netherlands 
was  that  of  the  De  Grotes  or  Groots,  of  which  Hugo  Grotius 
was  an  illustrious  member.  When  the  Spanish  j^ersecutions 
were  at  their  height  in  the  Low  Countries,  several  of  the 
Protestant  De  Grotes,  who  were  eminent  as  merchants  at 

*  The  Vanneck  family  is  now  represented  in  the  peerage  by  Baron  Ilunt- 
ingfield. 

t  Cosway  belonged  to  a  family,  originally  Flemish,  long  settled  at  Ti\erton, 
Devon.     His  father  was  master  of  the  grammar-school  there.  , 

X  The  Tatkr,  vol.  i.,  ed.  178G,  j).  4;^."),  in  a  note,  says,  "John  Tradescant 
senior  is  supposed  to  have  been  of  Dutch  or  Flemish  extraction,  and  to  have 
settled  in  this  kingdom  probal)ly  aliout  the  end  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign, 
or  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  James  1. "'  Fathel'  and  son  were  ■\ery  in- 
genious persons,  and  worthy  of  esteem  fur  tlieir  early  pronuition  and  culture 
of  the  science  of  natural  history  and  botany.  The  son  formed  the  Tradescant 
filuseum  at  O.xford. 


CHANGES  OF  NAME.  311 

Antwerp,  fled  from  that  city,  and  took  refuge,  some  in  En- 
gland and  others  in  Germany.  Several  of  the  Flemish  De 
Grotes  had  before  then  settled  in  England.  Thus,  among 
the  letters  of  denization  contained  in  Mr.  Brewer's  Calendar 
of  State  Pajyers,  Henry  VIII,,  Ave  find  the  following : 

' '  Ambrose  de  Grote,  merchant,  of  the  Duchy  of  Brabant  (Letters  of  Deni- 
zation, Patent  llth  of  June,  1510,  2  Henry  VIII.). 

"  12  Feby.,  1512-13.  Protection  for  one  year  for  Ambrose  and  Peter  de 
,Grote,  merchants  of  Andwarp,  in  Brabant,  going  in  the  retinue  of  Sir  Gilbert 
Talbot,  Deputy  of  Calais. " 

One  of  the  refugee  Grotes  is  supposed  to  have  settled 
as  a  merchant  at  Bremen,  from  which  city  the  grandfather 
of  the  present  Mr.  Grote,  the  historian  of  Greece,  came  over 
to  London  early  in  the  last  century,  and  established  first  a 
mercantile  house  and  afterward  a  banking  house,  both  of 
which  floiirished.  But  Mr.  Grote  is  also  of  Huguenot  blood, 
being  descended  by  his  mother's  side  from  Colonel  Blosset, 
commander  of  "  Blosset's  Foot,"  the  scion  of  an  ancient  Prot- 
estant family  of  Touraine,  an  ofiicer  in  the  army  of  Queen 
Anne,  and  the  proprietor  of  a  considerable  estate  in  the 
county  of  Dublin,  where  he  settled  subsequent  to  the  Revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 

The  great  French  immigration  which  ensued  on  the  last- 
named  event,  being  the  most  recent,  has  left  much  more  no- 
ticeable traces  in  English  family  history  and  nomenclature, 
notAvithstanding  the  large  proportion  of  the  refugees  and 
their  descendants  who  threw  aside  their  French  names  and 
adopted  them  in  an  English  translation.  Thus  L'Oiseau  be- 
came Bird ;  Le  Jeune,  Young ;  Le  Blanc,  White ;  Le  Noir, 
Black ;  Le  Maur,  Brown ;  Le  Roy,  King ;  Lacroix,  Cross ;  Le 
Monnier,  Miller  ;  Dulau,  Waters ;  and  so  on.  Some  of  the 
Lefevres  changed  their  name  to  the  English  equivalent  of 
Smith,  as  was  the  case  with  the  ancestor  of  Sir  Culling  Eard- 
ley  Smith,  Bart.,  a  French  refugee  Avhose  original  name  was 
Le  Fevre.  Many  names  Avere  strangely  altered  in  their  con- 
version from  French  into  English.     Jolifemmc  was  freely 


312  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

translated  into  Pretyman — a  name  well  known  in  the  Church; 
Momerie  became  Mummery,  a  common  name  at  Dover ;  and 
Planche  became  Plank,  of  which  there  are  instances  at  Can- 
terbury and  Southamjrton.  At  Oxford,  the  name  ofWillam- 
ise  was  traced  back  to  Villebois ;  Taillebois  became  Talboys ; 
Le  Coq,  Laycock;  Bouchier,  Butcher  or  Boxer;  Coquerel, 
Cockerill ;  Drouet,  Drewitt ;  D'Aeth,  Death ;  D'Orleans,  Dor- 
ling;  and  Sauvage,  Savage  and  Wild.  Other  pure  French 
names  were  dreadfully  vulgarized.  Thus  Conde  became 
Cundy ;  Chapuis,  Shoppee ;  De  Preux,  Diprose  ;  De  Moulins, 
Mullins ;  Pelletier,  Pelter ;  Huyghens,  Huggins  or  Higgins ; 
and  Beaufoy,  BofFy  !* 

Many  pure  French  names  have,  however,  been  preserved ; 
and  one  need  only  turn  over  the  pages  of  a  London  Directory 
to  recognize  the  large  proportion  which  the  descendants  of 
the  Huguenots  continue  to  form  of  the  modern  population  of 
the  metropolis.  But  a  short  time  since,  in  reading  the  re- 
port of  a  meeting  of  the  district  board  of  works  at  Wands- 
worth— where  the  refugees  settled  in  such  numbers  as  to 
form  a  considerable  congregation — we  recognized  the  names 
of  Lobjoit,  Baringer,  Fourdrinier,  Poupart,  and  others,  unmis- 
takably French.  Such  names  are  constantly  "  cropping  out" 
in  modern  literature,  science,  art,  and  manufactures.  Thus 
we  recognize  those  of  Delainef  and  Fonblanque  in  the  press ; 
Rigaud  and  Roget  in  science ;  Dargan  (originally  Dargent) 
in  raihvay  construction ;  Pigou  in  gunpowder ;  Gillott  in 
steel  pens ;  Courage  in  beer ;  and  Courtauld  in  silk. 

*  Mr.  Lower,  in  his  Patronymica  Britannica,  suggests  that  Ricliard  De- 
spair, a  poor  man  buried  at  East  Grinstead  in  1726,  was,  in  the  orthography 
of  his  ancestors,  a  Despard. 

Among  other  conversions  of  Frencii  into  Enghsh  names  may  be  mentioned 
the  following :  Letellier,  converted  into  Taylour ;  Brasseur  into  Brassey ; 
Batchelier  into  Bachelor ;  Lenoir  into  Lennard  ;  De  Lean  into  Dillon  ;  Pi- 
gou into  Pigott;  Breton  into  Britton ;  Dieudonne'  into  Dudney ;  Baudoir 
into  Baudry  ;  Gnilbert  into  Gilbert ;  Koch  into  Cox  ;  Benalls  into  IJcynolds  ; 
Merineau  into  Meiyon  ;  Petit  into  Pettit ;  Beveil  into  ]?evill ;  Savcroy  into 
Savery ;  Gebon  into  Gibbon ;  Scardeville  into  Shanvell ;  Levereau  into  Le- 
ver ;  and  so  on  with  many  more. 

t  Peter  de  Laine,  Esq.,  a  Protestant  refugee,  French  tutor  to  the  children 
of  the  Duke  of  York,  obtained  letters  of  naturahzation  dated  14th  of  October, 
1G8L — DuKRANT  Cooper's  Lists,  etc.,  :>0-l. 


THE  QUEEN.  313 


That  the  descendants  of  the  Huguenots  have  vmdicated 
and  continued  to  practice  that  liberty  of  thought  and  wor- 
ship for  which  their  fatliers  sacrificed  so  much,  is  sufficiently 
obvious  from  the  fact  that  among  them  we  find  men  holding 
such  widely  different  views  as  the  brothers  Newman,  Father 
Faber  and  James  Martineau,  Dr.  Pusey  and  the  Rev.  Hugh 
Stowell.  The  late  Rev.  Sydney  Smith  was  a  man  of  a  differ- 
ent temperament  from  all  these.  He  was  himself  accustomed 
to  attribute  much  of  his  constitutional  gayety  to  the  circum- 
stance of  his  grandfather  having  married  Maria  Olier,  the 
daughter  of  a  French  Protestant  refugee — a  woman  v»'hom 
he  characterizes  as  "  of  a  noble  countenance  and  as  noble  a 
mind." 

From  the  peerage  to  the  working  class,  the  descendants  of 
the  refugees  are  to  this  day  found  pervading  the  various 
ranks  of  English  society.  The  Queen  of  England  herself  is 
related  to  them,  through  her  descent  from  Sophia  Dorothea, 
granddaughter  of  the  Marquis  d'Olbreuse,  a  Protestant  noble- 
man of  Poitou.  The  marquis  was  one  of  the  numerous  French 
exiles  who  took  refuge  in  Brandenburg  on  the  Revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes.  The  Duke  of  Zell  married  his  only 
daughter,  whose  issue  Avas  Sophia  Dorothea,  the  wife  of 
George  Louis,  Elector  of  Hanover,  afterward  George  I.  of 
England.  The  son  of  Sophia  Dorothea  succeeded  to  the  En- 
glish throne  as  George  H.,  and  her  daughter  married  Fred- 
erick William,  afterward  King  of  Prussia ;  and  thus  Hugue- 
not blood  continues  to  run  in  the  royal  families  of  the  two 
great  Protestant  states  of  the  North. 

Several  descendants  of  French  Huguenots  have  become  el- 
evated to  the  British  peerage.  Of  these  the  most  ancient  is 
the  family  of  Trench,  originally  De  la  Tranche,  the  head  of 
Avhich  is  the  Earl  of  Clancarty.  Frederick,  lord  of  La  Tranche 
in  Poitou,  took  refuge  in  England  about  the  year  1574,  short- 
ly after  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  He  settled  for  a 
time  in  Northumberland,  fi-om  whence  he  i)assed  over  into 
Ireland.     Of  his  descendants,  one  branch  founded  the  peerage 


314  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

of  Claiicarty,  and  another  that  of  Ashtown..  Several  mem- 
bers of  the  family  have  held  high  offices  in  Church  and  State, 
among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Power  le  Poer  Trench,  the 
last  Archbishop  of  Tuam,  and  the  present  Arclibishop  of 
Dublin,  in  whom  the  two  Huguenot  names  of  Trench  and 
Chenevix  are  honorably  united. 

Among  other  peers  of  Huguenot  origin  are  Lord  North- 
wick,  descended  from  John  Rushout,  a  French  refugee  who 
established  himself  in  London  in  the  reign  of  Charles  L;  Lord 
de  Blaquiere,  descended  from  John  de  Blacquire,  a  scion  of  a 
noble  French  family,  wlio  settled  as  a  merchant  in  London 
shortly  after  the  Revocation  ;  and  Lord  Rendlesham,  de- 
scended from  Peter  Thelusson,  grandson  of  a  French  refugee 
who  about  the  same  time  took  refuge  in  Switzerland. 

Besides  these  elevations  to  the  peerage  of  descendants  of 
Huguenots  in  the  direct  male  line,  many  of  the  daughters  of 
distinguished  refugees  and  their  offspring  formed  unions  with 
noble  families,  and  led  to  a  farther  uatermingling  of  the  blood 
of  the  Huguenots  with  that  of  the  English  aristocracy.  Thus 
the  blood  of  the  noble  family  of  Ruvigny  mingles  with  that 
of  Russell*  (Duke  of  Bedford)  and  Cavendish  (Duke  of  Dev- 
onsliire);  of  Schomberg  with  that  of  Osbome  (Duke  of  Leeds); 
of  Champagne  {)ieeT)e  la  Rochefoucauld)  with  that  of  Forbes 
(Earl  of  Granard) ;  of  Portal  and  Boileau  with  that  of  Elliot 
(Earl  of  Minto) ;  of  Auriol  with  that  of  Hay  Drummond  (Earl 
of  Kinnoul) ;  of  D'Albiacf  with  that  of  Innes-Ker  (Duke  of 

*  Rachel,  daughter  of  Daniel  de  Massue,  Seigneur  de  Ruvigny,  manied 
Thomas  Wriothesley,  Earl  of  Southampton,  in  1 634.  The  countess  died  in 
1637,  leaving  two  daughters,  one  of  whom,  Elizabeth,  afterward  married  the 
Earl  of  Gainsborough,  and  the  other,  Rachel,  married,  first  Lord  Vaughan, 
and  secondly  William  Lord  Russell,  kno^^^l  as  "  the  patriot."  I^verj'  one  has 
heard  of  his  celebrated  wife,  the  daughter  of  a  Ruvigny,  whose  son  afterward 
became  second  Duke  of  Bedford,  and  whose  two  daughters  married,  one  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire,  and  the  other  the  Marquis  of  Granhy. 

+  The  D'Albiacs  were  a  noble  Protestant  ftunily  of  Nismes,  who  were  al- 
most exterminated  at  the  Revocation.  The  father,  mother,  four  sons,  and 
three  daughters  were  murdered.  Two  sons  escaped  death,  one  of  whom  ab- 
jured Protestantism  to  save  the  fomily  estate,  the  other  sent  his  two  children 
to  England,  tlisj)atching  them  in  hampers.  They  anived  safely,  and  founded 
two  families.     The  late  Lieutenant  General  Sir  J.  C.  Dalbiac  was  the  lineal 


THE  NOBILITY.  3U 


Roxburghe) ;  of  La  Touche  with  that  of  Butler-Dan  vers  (Earl 
of  Lanesborough) ;  of  Montolieu  with  that  of  Murray  (Lord 
Elibaiik) ;  and  so  on  in  numerous  other  instances. 

Among  recent  peerages  are  those  of  Taunton,  Eversley, 
and  Romilly,  all  direct  descendants  of  Huguenots.  The  first 
Labouchere  who  settled  in  England  was  Peter  Caesar  La- 
bouchere.  He  had  originally  taken  refuge  from  the  persecu- 
tion in  Holland,  where  he  joined  the  celebrated  house  of  Hope 
at  Amsterdam,  and  he  came  over  to  London  as  the  represent- 
ative of  that  firm.  He  eventually  acquired  wealth  and  dis- 
tinction, and  the  head  of  the  family  now  sits  in  the  House  of 
Lords  as  Baron  Taunton. 

The  Lefevres  originally  came  from  Poitou,  where  Sebastian 
Lefevre,  M.D,,  was  distinguished  as  a  physician.  Pierre,  one 
of  liis  sons,  sufiered  death  for  his  religion.  The  father,  with 
his  two  other  sons,  John  and  Isaac,  took  refuge  in  England. 
The  former  entered  the  army,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieuten- 
ant colonel,  serving  under  Marlborough  all  through  his  cam- 
paigns in  the  Low  Countries.  The  second  son,  Isaac,  from 
whom  Lord  Eversley  (late  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons) is  lineally  descended,  commenced  and  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully the  business  of  a  silk  manufacturer  in  Spitalfields. 
John  Lefevre,  the  last  of  the  Spitalfields  branch  in  the  male 
line,  possessed  considerable  property  at  Old  Ford,  which  is 
still  in  the  family;  and  his  only  daughter  Helena  having 
married  Charles  Shaw,  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  in  1789,  their  de- 
scendants have  since  borne  the  name  and  arms  of  the  Le- 
fevres.* 

The  story  of  the  Romilly  family  is  well  known  through 
the  admirable  autobiography  left  by  the  late  Sir  Samuel 
Romilly,  and  published  by  his  sons.f     The  great-grandfather 

descendant  of  one  of  them,  and  his  only  daughter  mamed  the  present  Duke 
of  Roxburghe. 

*  DuEKANT  CooPEK — Lists  of  Foreign  Protestants  and  Aliens :  Camden 
Society,  18G2. 

t  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  Sir  Samuel  Romilly,  written  by  himself.  Edited 
by  his  Sous.     3  vols.    London,  IS-iO. 


316  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

of  Sir  Samuel  was  a  considerable  landed  proprietor  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Montpellier.  Though  a  Protestant  by  con- 
viction, he  conformed  to  Roman  Catholicism,  with  the  object 
of  saving  the  family  property  for  the  benefit  of  his  only  son. 
Yet  he  secretly  worshiped  after  his  own  principles,  as  well 
as  brought  up  his  son  in  them.  The  youth,  indeed,  imbibed 
Protestantism  so  deeply,  that  in  the  year  IVOI,  when  only 
seventeen,  he  went  to  Geneva  for  the  sole  purpose  of  receiv- 
ing the  sacrament — the  administration  of  the  office  by  Prot- 
estant ministers  in  France  rendering  them  liable,  if  detected, 
to  death  or  condemnation  to  the  galleys  for  life.  At  Geneva 
young  Romilly  met  the  celebrated  preacher  Saurin,  tlien  in 
the  height  of  his  fame,  who  happened  to  be  there  on  a  visit. 
The  result  of  his  conversations  with  Saurin  Avas  the  forma- 
tion in  his  mind  of  a  fixed  determination  to  leave  forever  his 
native  country,  his  parents,  and  the  inheritance  Avhich  await- 
ed him,  and  trust  to  his  own  industry  for  a  subsistence  in 
some  foreign  land,  where  he  might  be  free  to  worship  God 
according  to  conscience. 

Young  Romilly  accordingly  set  out  for -London,  and  it  Avas 
not  until  he  had  landed  in  England  that  he  apprised  his  fa- 
ther of  the  resolution  he  had  formed.  After  a  few  years' 
residence  in  London,  where  he  married  Judith  de  Monsallier, 
the  daughter  of  another  refugee,  Mr.  Romilly  began  the  busi- 
ness of  a  wax-bleacher  at  Hoxton,  his  father  supplying  him 
from  time  to  time  with  money.  But  a  sad  reverse  of  fortune 
ensued  on  the  death  of  his  father,  which  shortly  after  took 
place.  A  distant  relative,  who  was  a  Catholic,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  family  estate,  and  farther  remittances  from  France 
came  to  an  end.  Then  followed  difficulty,  bankruptcy,  and 
distress ;  and  the  landowner's  son,  unable  to  bear  up  under  his 
calamities,  sank  under  them  at  an  early  age,  leaving  a  widow 
and  a  family  of  eight  children  almost  entirely  unprovided  for. 

His  youngest  son,  Peter,  father  of  the  future  Sir  Samuel, 
was  bound  apprentice  to  a  French  refugee  jeweler,  named 
Lafosse,  Avhose  shop  was  in  Broad  Street,      On  arriving  at 


R  OMILL  Y  A  ND  B  OILEA  U.  317 

manhood  he  went  to  Paris,  where  he  worked  as  a  journey- 
man, savmg  money  enough  to  make  an  excursion  as  far  south 
as  Montpellier  to  view  the  family  estate,  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  strangers  and  irrecoverably  lost,  since  it  could  only  be 
redeemed,  if  at  all,  by  apostasy.  The  jeweler  eventually  re- 
turned to  London,  married  a  Miss  Garnault,  like  himself  de- 
scended from  a  Protestant  refugee,  and  began  business  on  his 
own  account.  He  seems  to  have  enjoyed  a  moderate  degree 
of  prosperity,  living  carefully  and  frugally,  bringing  up  his 
family  virtuously  and  religiously,  and  giving  them  as  good 
an  education  as  his  comparative  slender  means  would  admit, 
until  the  death  of  a  rich  relative  of  his  wife,  a  Mr.  de  la 
Haize,  who  left  considerable  legacies  to  each  member  of  the 
family,  enabled  Mr.  Romilly  to  article  his  son  Samuel  to  a 
clerk  in  chancery,  and  enter  upon  the  profession  in  which  he 
eventually  acquired  so  much  distinction.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  describe  his  career,  which  has  been  so  simply  and  beauti- 
fully related  by  himself,  or  to  trace  the  farther  history  of  the 
family,  the  head  of  which  now  sits  in  the  House  of  Lords  un- 
der the  title  of  Baron  Romilly. 

The  baronetage,  as  well  as  the  peerage,  includes  many  de- 
scendants of  the  Huguenots.  Jacques  Boileau  was  Lord  of 
Castelnau  and  St.  Croix,  near  Nismes,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Avhich  the  persecution  long  raged  so  furiously.  He  was 
the  lather  of  a  family  of  twenty-two  children,  and  could  not 
readily  leave  France  at  the  Revocation ;  but,  being  known  as 
a  Protestant,  and  refusing  to  be  converted,  he  was  arrested 
and  placed  under  restraint,  in  which  condition  he  died.  His 
son  Charles  fled,  first  into  Holland,  and  aftei'wai'd  into  En- 
gland, where  he  entered  the  army,  obtained  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain, and  commanded  a  corps  of  French  gentlemen  under 
Marlborough  at  the  battle  of  Blenheim.  He  afterward  set- 
tled as  a  Avine-merchant  at  Dublin,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son.  The  family  prospered ;  and  the  great-grandson  of  Marl- 
borough's captain  was  j^romoted  to  a  baronetcy,  the  present 
wearer  of  the  title  being  Sir  John  Boileau. 


5l8  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

The  Crespignys  also  belonged  to  a  noble  family  in  Lower 
Normandy.  Claude  Champion,  Lord  of  Crespigny,  Avas  an 
officer  in  the  French  army ;  and  at  the  Revocation  he  fled 
into  England,  accompanied  by  liis  wife,  the  Comtesse  de  Vier- 
ville,  and  a  family  of  eight  children,  tAVO  of  whom  were  car- 
ried on  board  the  shij)  in  which  they  sailed  in  baskets.  De 
Crespigny  entered  tlie  British  army,  and  seiwed  as  colonel 
under  Marlborough.  The  present  head  of  the  family  is  Sir 
C.  W.  CharajDion  Crespigny,  Bart. 

Elias  Bouherau,  M.D.,  an  eminent  physician  in  Rochelle, 
being  debarred  the  practice  of  his  profession  by  the  edict  of 
Louis  XIV.,  fled  into  England  Avith  his  Avife  and  children, 
and  settled  in  L-eland,  Avhere  his  descendants  rose  to  fame 
and  honor,  the  present  representative  of  the  family  being  Sir 
E.  R.  Borough,  Bart. 

Anthony  Vinchon  de  Bacquencourt,  a  man  eminent  for  his 
learning,  belonged  to  Rouen,  of  the  Parliament  of  Avhich  his 
father  Avas  president.  He  Avas  originally  a  Roman  Catholic, 
but,  being  incensed  at  the  pretended  miracles  Avrought  at  the 
tomb  of  the  Abbe  Paris,  he  embraced  Protestantism,  and  fled 
from  Franco.  He  settled  in  Dublin  under  the  name  of  Des 
Voeux  (the  family  surname),  and  became  minister  of  the 
French  church  there ;  afterward  joining  the  Rev.  John  Peter 
Droz,  another  French  refugee,  in  starting  the  first  literary 
journal  that  CA'er  appeared  in  Ireland.  The  present  rei^re- 
sentative  of  the  family  is  Sir  C.  Des  Vceux,  Bart. 

Among  other  baronets  descended  from  Fi'cnch  refugees 
may  be  mentioned  Sir  John  Lambert,  descended  from  John 
Lambert,  of  the  Isle  of  Rhe ;  Sir  J.  D.  Legard,  descended 
from  John  Legard,  of  ancient  Norman  lineage ;  Sir  A.  J.  de 
Hochepied  Larpent,  descended  from  John  de  Larpent,  of 
Caen ;  and  Sir  G.  S.  Brooke  Pechell,  descended  fi-om  the 
Pechells  of  Montauban,  in  Langucdoc.  One  of  the  members 
of  the  last-mentioned  family  having  embraced  Roman  Cathol- 
icism, his  descendants  still  hold  the  family  estate  in  France. 

Many  of  the  refugees  and  their  descendants  have  also  sat  in 


HUGUENOTS  IN  PARLIAMENT.  319 

Parliament,  and  done  good  service  there.  Probably  the  first 
Huguenot  member  of  the  House  of  Commons  was  Philip  Pa- 
pillon,  who  sat  for  the  city  of  London  in  1695.  The  Papil- 
lons  had  suffered  much  for  their  religion  in  France,  one  of 
them  having  lain  in  jail  at  Avranches  for  three  years.  Va- 
rious members  of  the  family  have  since  sat  in  Parliament  for 
Dover,  Romney,  and  Colchester. 

Of  past  members  of  Parliament,  the  Pechells  have  sat  for 
Essex ;  the  Fonneraus  for  Aldborough  ;  the  Durants  for  St. 
Ives  and  Evesham  ;  the  Devagnes  for  Barnstaple ;  the  Man- 
gers for  Poole ;  the  La  Roches  for  Bodmin  ;  and  the  Amyands 
for  Tregony,  Bodmin,  and  Camelford.  The  last  member  of 
the  xVmyand  family  was  a  baronet,  Avho  assumed  the  name 
of  Cornewall  on  marrying  Catharine,  the  heiress  of  Velters 
Cornewall,  Esq.,  of  Moccas  Court,  Herefordshire;  and  his 
only  daughter,  having  married  Sir  Thomas  Frankland  Lewis, 
became  the  mother  of  the  late  Sir  George  Cornewall  Lewis, 
Bart. 

Many  descendants  of  the  Huguenots  Avho  had  settled  in 
Ireland  also  represented  constituencies  in  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment. Thus  the  La  Touches  sat  for  Catherton;  the  Chaig- 
neaus  for  Gowran ;  and  the  celebrated  William  Saurin,  who 
filled  the  office  of  Irish  attorney  general  for  fourteen  years, 
may  be  said  to  have  represented  all  Ireland.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  ability  and  distinguished  patriotism,  and,  but  for  his 
lack  of  ambition,  would  have  been  made  a  judge  and  a  peer, 
both  of  which  dignities  he  refused.  Colonel  Barre,  who  be- 
longed to  the  refugee  family  of  the  name  settled  in  Ireland, 
is  best  known  by  his  parliamentary  career  in  England.  He 
was  celebrated  as  an  orator  and  a  patriot,  resisting  to  the  ut- 
most the  passing  of  the  American  Stamp  Act,  which  severed 
the  connection  between  England  and  her  American  colonies. 
In  1776  he  held  the  office  of  Vice-Treasurer  of  Ireland,  and 
afterward  that  of  Paymaster  to  the  Forces  for  England. 

Among  more  recent  members  of  Parliament  may  be  men- 
tioned the  names  of  Dupre,  Gavin,  Hugessen,  Jervoise,  La- 


320  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

bouchere,  Layard,  Lcfevre,  Lefroy,  Paget  (of  the  Leieester- 
shh'e  family,  formerly  member  for  Nottingham),  Pusey,  Tom- 
line,  Rebow,  and  Vandeleur.  Mr.  Chevalier  Cobbold  is  de- 
scended by  the  female  side  from  Samuel  le  Chevalier,  minis- 
ter of  the  French  church  in  London  in  1591,  one  of  whose  de- 
scendants introduced  the  well-known  Chevalier  barley.  Mr. 
Du  Cane  is  descended  from  the  same  family  to  which  the 
great  admiral  belonged.  The  first  Du  Cane  or  Du  Quesne 
Avho  fled  into  England  for  refuge  settled  at  Canterbury,  and 
afterward  in  London.  The  head  of  this  family  was  an  alder- 
man of  the  city  in  1666,  and  in  the  next  century  his  grand- 
son Richard  sat  for  Colchester  in  Parliament,  the  present 
representative  of  the  Du  Canes  being  the  member  for  Xorth 
Essex. 

Of  the  descendants  of  refugees  who  were  distinguished  as 
divines  may  be  mentioned  the  Majendies,  one  of  whom — John 
James,  son  of  the  pastor  of  the  French  church  at  Exeter — 
was  Prebendary  of  Sarum,  and  a  Avell-known  author;  and  an- 
other, son  of  the  prebendary,  became  Bishop  of  Chester,  and 
afterward  of  Bangor.  The  Saurins  also  rose  to  eminence  in 
the  Church,  Louis  Saurin,  minister  of  the  French  church  in 
the  Savoy,  having  been  raised  to  the  Deanery  of  St.  Patrick's, 
Ardagh,  while  his  son  afterward  became  Vicar  of  Belfast, 
and  his  grandson  Bishojj  of  Dromore.  Roger  du  Quesne, 
grandson  of  the  Marcpiis  du  Quesne,  was  Vicar  of  East  Tud- 
denham  in  Norfolk,  and  a  prebendary  of  Ely. 

One  of  the  most  eminent  scholars  of  Huguenot  origin  was 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Jortin,  Archdeacon  of  London.  He  was  the  son 
of  Rene  Jortin,  a  refugee  from  Brittany,  who  served  as  secre- 
tary to  three  British  admirals  successively,  and  went  down 
with  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel  in  the  ship  in  which  he  was  wrecked 
off  the  Scilly  Isles  in  IVOV.  The  son  of  Rene  was  entered  a 
pupil  at  the  Charter-Hoiise,  and  gave  early  indications  of 
ability,  which  were  justified  by  the  distinction  which  he  short- 
ly after  achieved  at  Cambridge.  On  the  recommendation  of 
Dr.  Thirlby,  young  Jortin  furnished  Pojdc  with  translations 


HUGUENOT  SCHOLARS.  321 

from  the  commentary  of  Eustatliius  on  Homer,  as  well  as  with 
notes  for  his  translation  of  the  Iliad ;  but,  though  Pope 
adapted  them  almost  verbatim,  he  made  no  acknowledgment 
of  the  labors  of  his  young  helper.  Shortly  after,  on  a  fellow- 
ship becoming  vacant  at  Cambridge  by  the  death  of  William 
Rosen,  the  descendant  of  another  refugee,  Jortin  was  appoint- 
ed to  it.  A  few  years  later  he  was  appointed  to  the  vicarage 
of  SAvavesey,  in  Cambridgeshire,  from  whence  he  removed  to 
the  living  of  Kensington,  near  London.  There  he  distin- 
guished himself  as  the  author  of  many  learned  works,  of  which 
the  best  known  is  his  able  and  elaborate  Life  of  Erasmus. 
He  was  eventually  made  Archdeacon  of  London,  and  died  in 
1770  at  Kensington,  where  he  was  buried. 

Another  celebrated  divine  was  the  Rev.  George  Lewis  Fleu- 
ry.  Archdeacon  of  Waterford — "  the  good  old  archdeacon"  he 
was  called — widely  known  for  his  piety,  his  charity,  and  his 
goodness.  He  was  descended  from  Louis  Fleury,  pastor  of 
Tours,  who  fled  into  England  with  his  wife  and  family  at  the 
Revocation.  Several  of  the  Fleurys  are  still  clergymen  in 
Ireland. 

The  Maturins  also  have  produced  some  illustrious  men. 
The  pastor  Gabriel  Maturin,  from  whom  they  are  descended, 
lay  a  prisoner  in  the  Bastile  for  twenty-six  years  on  account 
of  his  religion.  Biit  he  tenaciously  refused  to  be  converted, 
and  was  at  length  discharged,  a  cripple  for  life,  having  lost 
the  use  of  his  limbs  through  his  confinement.  He  contrived, 
however,  to  reach  Ireland  with  some  members  of  his  former 
flock,  and  there  he  unexpectedly  found  his  wife  and  two  sons, 
of  whom  he  had  heard  nothing  during  the  long  period  of  his 
imprisonment.  His  son  Peter  arrived  at  some  distinction  in 
the  Church,  having  become  Dean  of  Killala ;  and  his  grand- 
son Gabriel  James  became  Dean  of  St.  Patrick's,  Dublin. 
From  him  descended  several  clergymen  of  eminence,  one  of 
them  an  eloquent  preacher,  who  is  also  more  generally  known 
as  the  author  of  two  remarkable  works — Melmoth  the  Wati- 
derer,  and  the  tragedy  oi Bertram. 

X 


322  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

There  were  numerous  other  descendants  of  the  refugees, 
clergymen  and  others,  besides  those  already  named,  who  dis- 
tinguished themselves  by  their  literary  productions.  Louis 
Dutens,  who  held  the  living  of  Elsdon,  in  Northumberland, 
produced  a  successful  tragedy,  Hie  Return  of  Ulysses,  Avhen 
only  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  his  later  years  he  was 
the  author  of  numerous  works  of  a  more  solid  character,  of 
which  one  of  the  best  known  is  his  Researches  on  the  Origin 
of  Discoveries  attributed  to  the  Moderns — a  work  full  of  learn- 
ing and  labor.  He  also  wrote  an  Appeal  to  Good  Sense,  being 
a  detense  of  Christianity  against  Voltaire  and  the  Encyclo 
pfedists,  besides  numerous  other  works. 

The  Rev.  William  Romaine,  Rector  of  St.  Ann's,  Black- 
friars,  was  the  son  of  a  French  refugee  who  had  settled  at 
Hartlepool  as  a  merchant  and  corn-dealer.  Mr.  Romaine  was 
one  of  the  most  popular  of  London  clergymen,  and  his  Life, 
Walk,  and  Triumph  of  Faith  is  to  this  day  a  well-known  and 
popular  book  among  religious  readers.  Romaine  has  been 
■compared  to  "  a  diamond,  rough  often,  but  very  pointed  ;  and 
the  more  he  was  broken  by  years,  the  more  he  appeared  to 
shine."  Much  of  his  life  was  passed  in  polemical  controversy, 
and  in  maintaining  the  Calvinistic  views  which  he  so  strongly 
held.  He  was  a  most  diligent  improver  of  time ;  and,  besides 
being  exemplary  and  indefatigable  in  performing  the  duties 
of  his  office,  he  left  behind  him  a  large  number  of  able  works, 
which  were  collected  and  published  in  1796,  in  eight  octavo 
volumes. 

The  Rev.  David  Durand,  F.R.S.,  was  another  voluminous 
writer  on  history,  biography,  philosophy,  and  science.  Among 
his  various  works  were  those  on  Tlie  Philosophical  Writings 
of  Cicero,  a  History  of  the  Sixteenth  Century,  and  tAVO  vol- 
umes in  continuation  of  Rapin's  History  of  England. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  distinction  achieved  by 
Saurin  and  Romilly  at  the  Irish  and  English  bar.  But  they 
did  not  stand  alone.  Of  the  numerous  lawyers  descended 
from  the  refugees,  several  have  achieved  no  less  eminence  as 


ILLUSTRIOUS  REFUGEES.  323 

judges  than  as  pleaders.  Of  these,  Baron  Mazeres,  appointed 
Curzitor  Baron  of  the  Exchequer  in  1773,  was  one  of  the  most 
illustrious.  He  was  no  less  distinguished  as  a  man  of  science 
than  as  a  lawyer,  his  writings  on  arithmetic,  algebra,  and 
mathematics  being  still  prized.*  Justice  Le  Blanc  and  Sir 
John  Bosanquet  were  also  of  like  French  extraction,  the  lat- 
ter being  descended  from  Pierre  Bosanquet,  of  Lunel,  in  Lan-. 
guedoc.  Chief  Justice  Lefroy  and  Justice  Perrin,  of  the  Irish 
bench,  were  in  like  manner  descended  from  Huguenot  fami- 
lies long  settled  in  Ireland. 

A  long  list  might  be  given,  in  addition  to  those  already 
mentioned,  of  persons  illustrious  in  literature,  science,  and  the 
arts,  who  sprang  from  the  same  stock ;  but  we  must  be  con- 
tent with  mentioning  only  a  few.  Peter  Anthony  Motteaux 
was  not  less  distinguished  for  his  enterprise  as  an  East  India 
merchant  than  for  his  ability  as  a  writer;  and  Sir  John 
Charden,  the  traveler  and  author,  afterward  jeweler  to  the 
court,  was  esteemed  in  his  time  as  a  man  of  great  parts  and 
of  noble  character.  Garrick,  the  great  English  actor,  was 
for  the  most  part  French,  his  real  name  being  Garrigue,  that 
of  the  Huguenot  family  to  which  he  belonged.     The  French 

*  William  Cobbett  says  of  him,  "I  knew  the  baron  well.  He  was  a  most 
conscientious  man  ;  he  was,  when  I  first  knew  him,  still  a  veiy  clever  man  ; 
he  retained  all  his  faculties  to  a  A-eiy  great  age.  .  .  .  He  was  the  only  man 
that  I  ever  heard  of  who  refused  to  have  his  salary  augmented  when  an  aug- 
mentation offered,  and  when  all  other  such  salaries  were  augmented.  .  .  . 
The  baron  was  a  most  implacable  enemy  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  as  Catho- 
lics. There  was  rather  a  peculiar  reason  for  this :  his  grandfather  haA-ing 
been  a  French  Huguenot,  and  having  fled  with  his  children  to  England  at  the 
time  of  the  Kevocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  .  .  .  There  was  great  excuse 
for  the  baron.  He  had  been  told  that  his  father  and  mother  had  been  driven 
out  of  France  by  the  Catholics ;  and  there  was  that  mother  dinning  this  in 
his  ears,  and  all  manner  of  honible  stories  along  with  it,  during  all  the  tender 
years  of  his  life.  In  short,  the  prejudice  made  part  of  his  verj'  frame.  .  .  . 
The  baron  was  a  very  humane  man ;  his  humanity  made  him  assist  to  support 
the  French  emigrant  priests ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  caused  Sir  Richard 
Musgrove's  book  against  the  Irish  Catholics  to  be  published  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. He  and  I  never  agi'eed  upon  this  subject ;  but  this  subject  was,  with 
him,  a  vital  one.  He  had  no  asperity  in  his  nature ;  he  was  naturally  all 
gentleness  and  benevolence,  and  therefore  he  never  resented  what  I  said  to 
him  on  this  subject  (and  which  nobody  else  ever,  I  believe,  ventured  to  say  to 
him) ;  but  he  did  not  like  it ;  and  he  liked  it  the  less  because  I  certainly  beat 
him  in  the  argument." — Rural  Rides,  ed.  1830,  p.  251-3. 


324  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

D'Aubignes  have  given  us  several  eminent  men,  bearing  the 
name  of  Daubeny,  celebrated  in  natural  history.  Among 
other  men  of  science  we  note  the  names  of  Rigaud,  Slvilian 
professor  of  astronomy  at  Oxford,  and  Roget  the  physiolo- 
gist, author  of  one  of  the  Bridgewater  treatises.  The  Rev. 
G.  J.  Faber  also  is  descended  from  a  French  refugee  who 
came  over  at  the  Revocation,  The  Martineaus,  so  well 
known  in  English  literature,  are  descended  from  Gaston  Mar- 
tineau,  a  surgeon  of  Dieppe,  who  settled  at  Norwich  in  1685; 
and  the  Barbaulds  are  sj^rung  from  a  minister  of  the  French 
church  of  La  Patente  in  London.  Some  of  our  best  novelists 
have  been  of  like  French  extraction.  Captain  Marryatt  and 
Captain  Chamier,  whose  nautical  tales  have  charmed  so  many 
English  readers,  were  both  descended  from  illustrious  Hugue- 
nots, as  was  also  Tom  D'Urfey,  the  English  song-writer ;  and 
Miss  Bnrney  and  Mrs.  Radcliffe*  were  in  like  manner  de- 
scended by  the  female  side  from  Protestant  refugees.  It  has 
also  been  supposed  that  the  family  of  De  Foe  (or  Vaux)  Avere 
of  Huguenot  origin. 

Several  men  of  considerable  distinction  in  science  and  in- 
vention emanated  from  the  Huguenot  settlers  in  Spitalfields, 
which  long  continued  to  be  the  great  French  quarter  of  Lon- 
don. The  French  hand-loom  weavers  were  in  many  respects 
a  superior  class  of  workmen,  though  their  earnings  were  com- 
paratively small  in  amount.  Their  employment  was  seden- 
tary, and  it  was  entirely  of  a  domestic  character,  the  work- 
shop being  almost  invariably  situated  over  the  dwelling,  and 
approached  through  it.  All  the  members  of  the  family  took 
part  in  the  work,  which  was  of  such  a  nature  as  not  to  pre- 
vent conversation ;  and  when  several  looms  were  worked  on 
the  same  floor,  this  was  generally  of  an  intellectual  charac- 
ter. One  of  the  young  people  Avas  usually  appointed  to  read 
to  those  at  work,  it  might  be  a  book  on  history,  or  frequently 
a  controversial  work,  the  refugee  divines  being  among  the 

*  Mrs.  Radcliffe  was  descended  from  a  ^Yalloon  family,  the  De  Witts,  set- 
tled at  Hatfield  Chase. 


THE  SPITALFIELDS  WEA  VERS.  32.", 

most  prolific  authors  of  their  time.  Nor  were  the  sufferings 
of  the  Huguenots  at  the  galleys  and  in  the  prisons  through- 
out France  forgotten  in  the  dwellings  of  the  exiles,  who  often 
spoke  of  them  to  their  children,  and  earnestly  enjoined  them 
to  keep  steadfast  in  the  faith  for  which  their  fathers  had  en- 
dured so  much. 

The  circumstances  in  which  the  children  of  the  Huguenot 
workmen  were  thus  brought  up  —  their  domestic  training, 
their  religious  discipline,  and  their  school  culture — rendered 
them  for  the  most  part  intelligent  and  docile,  while  their  in- 
dustry was  proverbial.  The  exiles  indulged  in  simple  pleas- 
ures, and  were  especially  noted  for  their  love  of  flowers. 
They  vied  with  one  another  in  the  production  of  the  finest 
plants,  and  wherever  they  settled  they  usually  set  up  a  flori- 
cultural  society  to  exhibit  their  products.  One  of  the  first 
societies  of  the  kind  in  England  was  that  established  by  the 
exiles  in  Spitalfields ;  and  when  a  body  of  them  went  over 
to  Dublin  to  carry  on  the  manufacture  of  poplins,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  set  on  foot  the  celebrated  Flower  Club  which  still 
exists  in  that  city.  Others  of  them,  who  settled  in  Manches- 
ter and  Macclesfield,  carried  thither  the  same  love  of  flowers 
and  botany,  which  still  continues  so  remarkably  to  charac- 
terize their  descendants. 

Among  the  hand-loom  weavers  of  Spitalfields  were  also  to 
be  found  occasional  inquirers  into  physical  science,  as  well  as 
several  distinguished  mathematicians.  They  were  encour- 
aged in  these  studies  by  the  societies  which  were  established 
for  their  cultivation,  a  philosophical  hall  having  been  founded 
with  that  object  in  Crispin  Street,  Spitalfields.*  Though 
Simpson  and  Edwards,  both  professors  of  mathematics  at 
"Woolwich,  were  not  of  French  extraction,  they  were  both 
silk -weavers  in  Spitalfields,  and  taught  the  mathematics 
there.  The  Dollonds,  however,  were  of  pure  French  origin. 
The  parents  of  John  Dollond  were  Protestant  refugees  from 

*  Tlie  building,  which  still  exists,  is  now  used  as  an  earthenware-store. 


326  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

Normandy,  from  whence  they  came  shortly  after  the  Revo- 
cation. His  father  was  a  silk-weaver,  to  which  trade  John 
was  also  brought  up.  From  an  early  age  he  displayed  a 
genius  for  construction,  and  he  embraced  every  opportunity 
of  readmg  and  studying  books  on  geometry,  mathematics, 
and  general  science.  He  was,  however,  unable  to  devote 
more  than  his  spare  moments  to  such  subjects ;  and  when 
he  reached  manhood  and  married,  his  increasing  family  com- 
pelled him  to  work  at  his  loom  more  assiduously  than  ever. 
Nevertheless,  he  went  on  accumulating  information,  not  only 
on  mathematics,  but  on  anatomy,  natural  history,  astronomy, 
and  o]Dtics,  reading  also  extensively  in  divinity  and  ecclesi- 
astical history.  In  order  to  read  the  New  Testament  in  the 
original,  he  even  learned  Greek,  and  to  extend  his  knowledge 
of  foreign  literature,  he  also  learned  Latin,  French,  German, 
and  Italian. 

John  Dollond  a2:)prenticed  his  eldest  son  Peter  to  an  oj)- 
tician;  and  on  the  expiry  of  the  young  man's  apprenticeship, 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  opened  a  shop  in  Vine  Street,  Spital- 
fields.  The  business  proved  so  prosperous  that,  shortly  after, 
the  elder  Dollond  Avas  induced  to  leave  his  loom  at  the  age 
of  forty-six,  and  enter  into  partnership  with  his  son  as  an  op- 
tician. He  was  now  enabled  to  devote  himself  wholly  to  his 
favorite  studies,  and  to  pursue  as  a  business  the  art  which 
before  had  occupied  him  chiefly  as  an  amusement. 

One  of  the  first  subjects  to  which  Dollond  devoted  him- 
self was  the  improvement  of  the  refracting  telescope.  He 
entered  on  a  series  of  experiments,  which  extended  over  sev- 
eral years,  at  first  without  results ;  but  at  length,  after  "  a 
resolute  perseverance"  (to  use  his  own  words),  he  made  the 
decisive  experiment  which  showed  the  error  of  Xewton's 
conclusion  as  to  the  suj^iiosed  law  of  refraction.  The  jDapers 
embodying  Dollond's  long  succession  of  experiments  were 
printed  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Philosoi^hical  Society,  and 
for  the  last  of  them  he  was  awarded  the  Royal  Society's 
Copley  medal.     The  result  of  the  discovery  was  an  immedi- 


LEWIS  PAUL.  327 


ate  great  improvement  in  the  powers  and  accuracy  of  the 
telescope  and  microscope,  of  which  the  Dollond  firm  reaped 
the  result  in  a  large  increase  of  business,  which  still  contin- 
ues in  the  family. 

We  might  greatly  enlarge  the  list  of  descendants  of  the 
Huguenots  illustrious  for  their  inventions  in  the  arts,  but 
will  conclude  with  a  brief  account  of  the  life  of  Lewis  Paul, 
partly  because  it  is  little  known,  and  also  because  his  inven- 
tion of  spinning  by  rollers,  subsequently  revived  and  success- 
fully applied  by  Sir  Richard  Arkwright,  has  exercised  so  ex- 
ti-aordinary  an  influence  on  the  manufacturing  system  of  En- 
gland and  the  world  at  large. 

Lewis  Paul  was  the  son  of  a  French  refugee  who  carried 
on  business  as  a  druggist  in  St.  Paul's  Church-yard.  By  this 
calling  he  acquired  a  considerable  property,  and  at  his  death 
he  left  his  son  under  the  guardianship  of  Lord  Shaftesbury, 
and  his  brother  the  Honorable  M.  A.  Cooper.  We  have  no  in- 
formation as  to  his  bringing  up,  but  gather  from  his  papers 
that  Lewis  led  a  gay  life  as  a  young  man,  fell  into  bad  com- 
pany, and,  to  pay  his  debts,  mortgaged  the  valuable  property 
in  the  parish  of  St.  Bride's  which  his  father  had  left  him.  He 
was  evidently  on  the  high  road  to  ruin  unless  he  reformed 
his  habits,  and  that  speedily.  He  had  the  courage  to  break 
off"  his  connection  with  his  former  associates,  though  by  that 
time  his  purse  was  nearly  empty ;  and  he  proceeded  to  apply 
himself  to  business  connected  with  invention. 

In  a  letter  addressed  by  him  to  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury, 
son  of  his  guardian,  many  years  later,  Paul  said :  "  As  it  too 
often  happens  with  young  sparks,  I  made  but  an  ill  use  of 
my  position  and  patronage.  However,  before  the  calamities 
I  had  laid  the  foundation  of  had  reached  me,  I  had  exerted 
myself  to  the  repair  of  my  affairs  with  such  ai'dor  and  suc- 
cess, that,  notwithstanding  the  various  impediments  necessa- 
rily in  the  way  of  a  person  who  had  spent  his  time  in  every 
way  so  remote  from  the  arts  of  trade,  I  nevertheless  com- 
pleted a  machine  of  great  value  in  the  most  extensive  manu- 


328  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

facture  of  the  kingdom,"*  The  machuie  to  which  he  thus 
referred  was  that  for  spinning  by  rollers,  on  the  principle 
subsequently  adopted  and  completed  by  Sir  Richard  Ark- 
wright. 

It  ajipears  that  the  first  invention  of  Paul  was  a  machine 
for  the  pinking  of  crapes,  tammies,  etc.,  which  brought  him 
considerable  profit.  He  employed  a  number  of  women  to 
work  the  machine,  among  whom  we  find  Mrs.  Demoulins,  a 
protegee  of  Dr.  Johnson,  frequently  referred  to  in  Boswell's 
Life.  It  is  probable  that  Paul's  connection  with  the  French 
manufacturers  of  Spitalfields  served  to  direct  his  attention  to 
the  invention  of  new  methods  of  facilitating  production,  with 
the  object  of  turning  them  to  account  in  the  raising  of  his 
depressed  fortunes. 

Shortly  after  we  find  him  in  communication  with  John 
Wyatt,  of  Weeford,  near  Lichfield,  afterward  of  Birmingham, 
well  known  in  his  district  as  a  highly  ingenious  and  expert 
workman.  It  appears  from  the  papers  of  Wyatt,  which  we 
have  carefully  examined,!  that  he  had  invented  a  file-cutting 
machine,  which  he  agreed  to  dispose  of, "  when  perfected,"  to 
one  Richard  Heely,  of  Birmingham,  a  gunmaker,  for  certain 
considerations.  But  Heely  having  become  involved  in  difli- 
culties,  the  agreement  came  to  an  end,  and  Wyatt  looked  out 
for  another  customer  for  his  invention.  Such  he  found  in 
Lewis  Paul;  and  in  September,  1732,  an  agreement  was  en- 
tered into  between  them,  in  which  Paul  is  described  as  "  of 
the  parish  of  St.  Andrew's,  Holborn,  gentleman,"  and  Wyatt 
as  "of  the  parish  of  Weeford,  county  of  Stafford,  carpenter." 
By  this  agreement  Paul  bound  himself  to  the  same  terms  as 
Heely  had  done,  though  the  machine  was  declared  to  be  "  not 
yet  perfected  and  completed."  Paul,  however,  being  unable 
to  pay  the  stipulated  instalments,  reconvej-ed  the  invention 
to  Wyatt  in  the  following  year  by  a  deed  in  which  it  is  de- 

*  Paper  read  by  Robert  Cole,  F.S.A.,  before  the  British  Association  at 
Leeds,  1858. 

t  Tiiese  ])apers  have  been  kindly  lent  us  for  examination  by  Mrs.  Silvester, 
a  descendant  of  John  Wyatt. 


LEWIS  PAUL.  329 


scribed  as  "  a  certain  tool  or  instrument  intended  to  be  used 
in  and  for  the  cutting  of  files."* 

We  next  find  Paul  residing  at  Birmingham,  and  Wyatt 
employed  under  his  directions  in  bringing  out  a  new  inven- 
tion for  sj^inning  fibrous  materials  by  machinery.  It  is  said 
that  Wyatt  had  before  that  time  made  a  model  of  such  a  ma- 
chine while  residing  at  Sutton  Coldfield,  by  means  of  which 
he  was  enabled  to  spin  thread  successfully;  and  probably 
Paul  was  only  acting  on  the  suggestion  first  thrown  out  by 
Wyatt,  in  proceeding  to  join  him  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
the  machine  to  perfection.  Both  were  equally  short  of  mon- 
ey, but  Paul  had  greater  facilities  for  raising  means  among 
his  London  friends,  at  the  same  time  that  he  carried  on  his 
business  of  pinking  crape  and  tammies.  Both  were  men  of 
hot  temper,  and  being  hampered  for  want  of  money  and 
struggling  with  difficulties,  they  often  quarreled  violently, 
and  usually  ended  by  agreeing  and  working  together  again. 
The  invention  seems  to  have  occupied  the  minds  of  both  for 
more  than  four  years,  during  which  time  they  occasionally 
proceeded  to  London,  Paul  to  try  and  raise  money  among 
his  friends,  and  Wyatt  to  visit  the  manufacturers'  shops  in 
Spitalfields  and  obtain  practical  hints  from  the  manufac- 
turers for  the  purposes  of  the  machine. 

Paul  returned  to  Birmingham,  leaving  Wyatt  in  London 
to  proceed  with  "  the  work ;"  the  former  sending  remittances 
in  payment  of  Wyatt's  agreed  salary,  according  as  the  mon- 
ey could  be  raised.  Li  one  of  Paul's  letters,  inclosing  a 
remittance  for  salary  and  "  work  done,"  he  says :  "  As  to 
particulars,  1  dare  say  when  you  see  Perriere's  work  you'll 
remember  the  whole  design  I  have  laid  down."  Li  a  letter 
written  two  days  later,  Paul  says :  "When  I  wrote  you  last, 
being  in  a  good  deal  of  haste,  I  apprehend  that  I  omitted 
some  directions  necessary.  A  principal  Avas,  that  you  should 
take  a  lodging  either  where  you  are  not  known,  or  where 
you  can  have  the  highest  confidence  to  remove  the  tool  to, 
*  Wyatt  MSS. 


330  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

and  to  prepare  that  work,  for  I  would  not  have  it  seen  by 
any  body  besides  yourself  for  any  reasons."  Toward  the 
end  of  the  year  1737  Paul  was  still  struggling  with  difficul- 
ties as  to  money,  putting  off  Wyatt  Avith  excuses,  -assuring 
him  that  if  it  were  jjossible  to  borrow  he  should  be  supplied 
forthwith,  and  that  he  himself  was  extremely  anxious  to  be 
in  town,  but  could  not  stir  for  want  of  the  ''^primuni  mobile.'^'* 
In  his  next  letter,  all  that  he  could  send  Wyatt  was  tAvo 
guineas,  which  he  had  raised  "  with  much  difficulty ;"  but  he 
hoped  to  have  more  soon,  when  he  Avould  immediately  set 
out  for  London. 

In  the  beginning  of  1738,  Paul  wrote  to  Wyatt  in  great 
joy,  having  been  at  length  enabled  to  obtain  a  sum  of  mon- 
ey from  Mr.  Warren,  a  Birmingham  bookseller ;  but  it  had 
been  advanced  on  the  express  condition  that  it  w^as  to  be  in- 
vested in  Paul's  crape  business,  over  which  Mr.  Warren  was 
to  have  control,  excepting  the  sum  of  £70,  which  Paul  was  to 
be  at  liberty  to  employ  for  his  own  purposes.  On  the 
strength  of  this  advance,  he  proceeded  to  ask  Wyatt  if  he 
would  engage  to  Avork  on  a  salary  for  six  months,  Avith  a 
A'icAV  to  the  perfecting  of  the  machine.  Wyatt  answered 
that  he  could  give  four  days  a  Aveek,  at  5s.  a  day,  to  the  for- 
Avarding  of  Paul's  Avork,  taking  a  payment  of  1  Is.  Aveekly  on 
account,  and  leaving  the  rest  to  accumulate  until  Paul  was 
able  to  pay  him.  This  was  a  most  generous  offer  on  the  part 
of  Wyatt,  Avho  AA-as  laboring  Avith  self-denying  zeal  to  perfect 
the  invention,  occasionally  paAvning  his  clothes  to  maintain 
himself  and  Avife  until  remittances  arrived  from  Birmingham, 
the  suit  Avhich  he  wore  being  so  ragged  that  he  declared  he 
was  ashamed  to  be  seen  abroad  in  it. 

In  the  mean  time  Paul  was  impatient  for  the  com])lction 
of  the  model,  Avhich  Avas  delayed  in  consequence  of  tlie  se- 
crecy which  was  observed  Avith  respect  to  it,  the  Avhole  of 
the  work  having  to  be  done  by  Wyatt  himself  At  length 
the  model  Avas  ready,  and  Paul  proceeded  to  London  to  take 
out  a  patent  for  the  invention  of  siiinning  avooI  and  cotton  by 


SPINNING  BY  R OLLERS.  33 1 

means  of  rollers.  His  petition  was  enrolled  in  January,  1738, 
and  the  patent  was  issued  in  the  month  of  July  following. 
The  process  detailed  in  the  specification  is  clearly  akin  to 
that  afterAvard  revived  by  Arkwright,  and  by  him  turned  to 
such  profitable  account.  The  sliver  "is  put  between  a  pair 
of  rollers,"  .  .  .  and,  "  being  turned  round  by  their  motion, 
draws  in  the  raw  mass  of  wool  or  cotton  to  be  spun  in  pro- 
portion to  the  velocity  of  such  rollers ;"  and  "  a  succession 
of  other  rollers,  moving  proportionately  faster  than  the  rest, 
draw  the  rope,  thread,  or  sliver  into  any  degree  of  fineness 
that  may  be  required ;"  in  addition  to  which,  "  the  bobbyn, 
spole,  or  quill,  upon  which  the  thread  is  spun,  is  so  contrived 
as  to  draw  faster  than  the  first  rollers  give,  and  in  such  pro- 
portion as  the  sliver  is  supposed  to  be  diminished."  The 
whole  principle  of  spinning  by  rollers  is  clearly  embodied  in 
this  description ;  and  that  it  was  the  invention  of  LcAvis 
Paul  is  clear  from  a  memorandum  in  the  handwriting  of 
John  Wyatt,  found  among  his  papers,  to  the  following  ef- 
fect: 

"  Thoughts  originally  Mr.  PauTs. — 1.  The  joining  of  the 
rolls.  2.  Their  passing  through  cylinders.  3.  The  calcula- 
tion of  the  wheels,  by  which  means  the  bobbin  draws  faster 
than  those  cylinders :  this,  I  presume,  was  picked  up  some- 
where before  I  knew  him." 

The  rest  of  the  details  of  the  invention  were  claimed  by 
"Wyatt — "  the  horizontal  and  tracer,  the  conic  whorves,"  the 
proportional  size  of  the  spindle  and  bobbin,  and  sundry  other 
mechanical  details  of  the  machine. 

But,  though  Paul  secured  a  patent  for  his  invention,  and 
sold  sundry  licenses  to  manufacturers  to  spin  wool  and  cot- 
ton after  his  process,  it  does  not  appear  that  it  proved  very 
successful.  James  Johnson,  a  manufacturer  in  Sjjitalfields, 
bought  a  license  to  use  150  spindles.  Warren,  the  Birming- 
liani  bookseller,  took  a  license  for  50  spindles,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  money  owing  to  him  by  Paul,  being  induced  to 
do  so  by  the  favorable  report  of  Dr.  James,  of  fever-powder 


332  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

celebrity.*  Edward  Cave  also,  the  printer  of  the  Gentle- 
man^s  Magazine.,  was  tempted  to  embark  in  the  speculation. 
He  bought  from  Paul  a  license  for  250  spindles,  and  in  1740 
he  started  a  spinning-mill  on  Turnhill  Brook,  a  little  to  the 
north  of  Fleet  Bridge,  at  the  back  of  Field  Lane,  Holborn. 
John  Wyatt  was  so  sanguine  as  to  the  success  of  the  inven- 
tion that  he  too,  like  Warren,  agreed  to  take  a  grant  of  300 
spindles  in  discharge  of  the  debt  of  £820  which  Paul  by  this 
time  owed  to  him. 

But  all  the  attempts  made  to  spin  by  Paul's  machiue 
proved  comparatively  unsuccessful  as  regarded  profitable  re- 
sults. Johnson's  mill  in  Spitalfields  was  accidentally  burned 
down,  and  he  did  not  care  to  repeat  the  experiment.  Cave 
coiild  not  Avork  his  spindles  to  a  profit,  though  the  mill  was 
superintended  by  Paul  himself,  and  it  was  shortly  given  up. 
Wyatt  was  not  more  fortunate.  He  first  started  fifty  spin- 
dles in  a  large  warehouse  near  the  Well  in  the  Upper  Priory, 
Birmingham.  The  movement  was  given  to  the  machinery 
by  two  or  more  asses  working  round  an  axis,  and  required 
some  ten  girls  to  attend  to  the  work.  After  a  short  trial, 
Wyatt  found  himself  in  difficulties  and  in  debt,  and  a  few 
months  later  Ave  find  him  a  prisoner  in  the  Fleet.  His  as- 
signees sold  the  spindles  to  a  Mr.  Samuel  Touchet  (a  French 
refugee),  of  Northampton,  whither  they  were  removed  from 
Birmingham ;  and  Wyatt,  having  taken  advantage  of  the  In- 
solvent Debtors'  Act,  and  obtained  his  discharge,  went  down 
to  Northampton  to  superintend  in  person  the  erection  and 
working  of  the  sjjinning  factory. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  describe  the  Northampton  adventure. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  after  working  for  more  than  ten  years, f 

*  Dr.  James  wrote  to  Mr.  Warren  thus:  "Yesterday  I  went  to  see  Mr. 
Paul's  machine,  which  gave  us  all  entire  satisfaction,  hoth  in  regard  to  the 
carding  and  spinning.  You  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  get  a  purchaser  for 
j-our  grant :  the  sight  of  the  thing  is  demonstration  enough.  I  am  certain 
that  if  Paul  could  begin  with  ten  thousand  pounds,  he  must,  or  at  least  might, 
get  more  money  in  twenty  years  tlian  the  city  of  London  is  worth." 

t  In  1  7.")7  we  find  John  Wyatt,  disgusted  with  the  results  of  the  spinning 
adventure,  sending  tlie  remainder  of  his  spindles  to  the  manager  of  the  mOl 


FAILURE  OF  THE  SPINNING-MILLS.  333 

the  factory  was  given  up  as  a  failure,  Paul  alleging  that  the 
chief  cause  lay  in  the  mismanagement  of  the  owners.  Touch- 
et  was  glad  to  get  out  of  the  concern  at  a  loss ;  on  which  Ed- 
ward Cave,  doubtless  persuaded  by  Paul,  entered  upon  a 
lease  of  the  factory ;  biit  at  his  death  shortly  after,  his 
brother  Joseph,  to  whom  the  property  devolved,  became  so 
disheartened  that  he  resolved  to  abandon  the  enterprise. 
Paul,  still  firmly  believing  in  the  soundness  of  his  project, 
next  took  a  lease  of  the  Northampton  mill  for  twenty-one 
years ;  but,  being  unable  to  pay  the  rent,  Cave  put  in  a  dis- 
tress for  the  moneys  due  to  him.  On  this  and  other  occasions 
we  find  Dr.  Johnson  negotiating  between  Paul  and  the  Caves, 
and  endeavoring  to  bring  them  to  terms.*  The  machinery 
of  the  mill  at  Northampton  was  eventually  sold  for  the  price 
of  the  materials ;  and  the  experiment,  promising  as  it  seemed, 
and  embodying,  as  it  did,  the  principles  of  an  invention 
which  has  since  enriched  thousands,  ended,  for  the  time,  in 
disaster  to  all  concerned. f 

Paul  continued  to  add  to  his  inventions.  He  invented  a 
carding  machine  in  1748,  which  he  patented  ;  and,  ten  years 

at  Northampton:  "You  have  herewith,"  he  said,  "a  reversion  of  old  gim- 
cracks,  which,  by  order  of  Mr.  Yeo,  I  am  directed  to  send  to  you.  I  most 
heartily  wish  Mr.  Yeo  better  success  than  any  of  his  predecessors  have  had." 

*  BosivelFs  Life  of  Johnson,  by  Crokek.     1  vol.,  ed.  1853,  p.  43,  101-2-3. 

+  So  far  as  we  can  judge  from  the  Wyatt  MSS. ,  Paul  was  the  inventor  of 
the  principle  of  spinning  by  rollers,  and  Wyatt  the  skilled  mechanic  who  em- 
bodied the  principle  in  a  woi'king  machine.  In  a  letter  addressed  by  the  lat- 
ter to  Sir  H.  Gough,  he  describes  himself  as  "  the  principal  agent,  I  might  al- 
most say  the  sole  compiler,  of  the  machine  for  spinning."  Wyatt  aftenvard 
proved  his  ability  both  as  a  mechanic  and  an  inventor.  The  machine  for 
weighing  loaded  carriages,  still  in  use,  was  invented  by  him.  Among  his 
other  inventions  was  a  method  of  neutralizing  the  friction  of  wheels  by  sur- 
rounding the  wearing  parts  of  the  axle  with  three  or  more  cylinders  inclosed 
in  a  steel  box  impervious  to  dust — an  in'v'ention  for  which  several  ])atents  have 
since  been  taken  out,  and  in  one  of  which  Wyatt's  expedient  has  been  applied 
with  success  in  railway  tiu^n-tables.  Another  of  his  contrivances  was  a  double 
lathe,  of  beautifid  constraction  and  arrangement,  for  cutting  out  of  bone  the 
mould  in  which  a  peculiar  kind  of  button  was  formed,  which  proved  of  much 
use  in  the  Birmingham  trade.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Matthew  Boulton,  to  whom  he  was  of  great  service  in  erecting  the 
machinery  for  Soho.  He  died  in  1 7CG,  and  his  funeral  was  attended  by  the 
principal  inhabitants  of  Birmingham — Baskenille,  the  printer  (also  descend- 
ed from  a  French  refugee),  a  man  of  eccentric  character,  arraying  himself  on 
the  occasion  in  a  splendid  suit  of  gold  lace. 


334  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

later,  he  took  out  a  second  patent  for  a  spinning  machine, 
substantially  the  same  as  the  first,  embodying  many  im- 
provements in  detail,  though  not  in  principle.  He  did  not, 
however,  long  survive  the  grant  of  this  j^atent,  but  died 
shortly  after,  in  April,  1759,  at  Brook  Green,  Kensington, 

The  invention  at  which  Paul  had  labored  with  such  imfor- 
tunate  results  was  at  length  perfected  and  introduced  into 
successful  practice  by  Arkwright  in  1768,  his  patent  for  spin- 
ning by  rollers  having  been  taken  out  in  the  following  year. 
In  course  of  time  the  invention  Avas  generally  adopted,  and 
the  cotton  manufacture  became  one  of  the  great  staple 
trades  of  the  north  of  England.  The  invention  of  the  steam- 
engine  by  Watt  gave  another  great  impulse  to  this  branch 
of  industry;  and  the  further  invention  of  the  power -loom 
gave  almost  the  death-blow  to  hand-loom  weaving. 

From  that  time  the  manufactures  of  Spitalfields,  of  Dublin, 
and  the  other  places  where  the  descendants  of  the  refugee 
artisans  had  principally  settled,  fell  into  comparative  decay. 
Many  of  the  artisans,  following  the  current  of  trade,  left  their 
looms  in  Spitalfields,  and  migrated  to  Coventry,  Macclesfield, 
Manchester,  and  the  other  northern  manufacturing  towns, 
then  rapidly  rising  in  importance.  The  stronger  and  more 
self-reliant  pushed  out  into  the  world ;  the  more  quiescent 
and  feeble  remained  behind.  The  hand-loom  trade  could  not 
be  revived,  and  no  amount  of  patient  toil  and  industry  could 
avert  the  distress  that  fell  upon  the  poor  silk-weavers,  which, 
even  to  this  day,  from  time  to  time  sends  up  its  wail  in  the 
eastern  parts  of  London.* 

*  The  Eev.  Isaac  Taylor,  incumbent  of  St.  Matthias,  Bethnal  Green,  in  a 
letter  to  the  Times  of  the  14th  of  February  last,  thus  describes  the  state  of 
the  district : 

"This  portion  of  Bethnal  Green  is  the  headquarters  of  what  is  known  as 
the  Spitalfields  silk-trade.  The  silk-weavers,  by  wliom  tlie  parish  of  St. 
Matthias  is  mainly  populated,  are  descendants  of  those  Huguenot  exiles  wiio, 
for  the  cause  of  God  and  truth,  and  liberty  and  life,  fled  from  the  sunny 
plains  of  tlieir  native  France  in  the  years  whicli  succeeded  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  and  who  were  encouraged  by  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her  ad- 
visers to  bring  their  valuable  industry  to  this  country,  and  to  settle  on  tlia 
lands  adjacent  to  tlie  Hospital  of  St.  Mary— the  Hospital  or  "Spital-fields,' 


THEIR  HOME-  LIFE. 


Owing  to  these  circumstances,  as  well  as  to  the  gradual 
intermingling  of  the  foreign  with  the  native  population,  the 
French  element  year  by  year  became  less  marked  in  Spital- 
fields,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  generations  the  religious 
fervor  which  had  distinguished  the  original  Huguenot  refu- 
gees entirely  died  out  in  their  descendants.  They  might 
continue  to  frequent  the  French  churches,  but  it  was  in  con- 
stantly decreasing  numbers.  The  foreign  congregations, 
which  had  been  so  flourishing  about  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  toward  the  end  of  it  became  the  mere 
shadows  of  w^hat  they  had  been,  and  at  length  many  of  them 
were  closed  altogether,  or  were  turned  over  to  other  denom- 
inations. 

Sir  Samuel  Romilly,  in  his  Autobiograiihy ^  gives  a  touch- 
ing account  of  the  domestic  life  of  his  father's  family — their 
simple  pleasures,  their  reading,  society,  and  conversation. 
Nearly  all  the  visitors  and  friends  of  the  family  were  of 
French  descent.  They  associated  together,  woi'shiped  to- 
gether, and  intermarried  among  each  other.  The  children 
went  to  a  school  kept  by  a  refugee.  On  Sunday  mornings 
French  was  exclusively  spoken  in  the  family  circle,  and  at 
least  once  in  the  day  the  family  pew  in  the  French  Artillery 
Church  was  regularly  filled.  "  My  father,"  says  Sir  Samuel, 
"  had  a  pew  in  one  of  the  French  chapels,  which  had  been  es- 
tablished when  the  Protestant  refugees  first  emigrated  into 
England,  and  he  required  us  to  attend  alternately  there  and 
at  the  parish  church  [this  was  about  the  year  1770].     It  was 

as  they  were  called,  which  were  then  just  outside  the  walls  of  London.  The 
descendants  of  these  emigrants  continue  to  inhabit  the  district.  Many  of 
them  still  cherish  proud  traditions  of  their  ancestry  ;  many  of  them,  though 
now  perhaps  only  clad  in  rags,  bear  the  old  historic  names  of  France — names 
of  distinguished  generals,  and  statesmen,  and  poets,  and  historians — names 
such  as  Vendome,  Ney,  Racine,  Defoe,  La  Fontaine,  Dupin,  Blois,  Le  Beau, 
Auvache,  Fontaineau,  and  Montier.  In  addition  to  their  surnames  and  tlieir 
traditions,  the  only  relic  which  these  exiles  retain  of  their  fonner  prosperity 
and  gentle  nurture  is  a  traditional  love  of  birds  and  flowers.  Few  rooms, 
however  wretched,  are  destitute  either  of  a  sickly  plant,  struggling,  like  its 
sickly  o^v^ler,  for  bare  life,  or  a  caged  bird  warbling  the  songs  of  heaven  to 
the  poor  imprisoned  weaver  as  he  plies  his  weary  labor." 


33G  DESCENIJANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

a  kind  of  homage  which  he  paid  to  the  faith  of  his  aucestors, 
and  it  was  a  means  of  rendering  the  French  language  famil- 
iar to  us ;  but  nothing  was  ever  worse  calculated  to  inspire 
the  mind  of  a  child  with  respect  for  religion  than  such  a  kind 
of  religious  worship.  Most  of  the  descendants  of  the  refu- 
gees were  born  and  bred  in  England,  and  desired  nothing  less 
than  to  preserve  the  memory  of  their  origin,  and  the  chapels 
were  therefore  ill-attended.  A  large  uncouth  room,  the  ave- 
nues to  which  were  crowded  courts  and  dirty  alleys,  and 
which,  Avhen  you  entered  it,  presented  to  the  view  only  irreg- 
ular unpainted  pews,  and  dusty,  uuplastered  walls ;  a  congre- 
gation consisting  principally  of  some  strange  -  looking  old 
women,  scattered  here  and  there,  two  or  three  in  a  pew ;  and 
a  clergyman  reading  the  service  and  preaching  in  a  monoto- 
nous tone  of  voice,  and  in  a  language  not  familiar  to  me,  was 
not  likely  either  to  impress  my  mind  with  much  religious 
awe,  or  to  attract  my  attention  to  the  doctrines  which  were 
delivered.  In  truth,  I  did  not  once  attempt  to  attend  to 
them;  my  mmd  was  wandering  to  other  subjects,  and  dis- 
porting itself  in  much  gayer  scenes  than  those  before  me,  and 
little  of  religion  was  mixed  in  my  reveries."* 

Very  few  of  the  refugees  returned  to  France.  They  long 
continued  to  sigh  after  the  land  of  their  fathers,  hoping  that 
the  religious  persecutions  abroad  would  abate,  so  that  they 
might  return  to  live  and  die  there.  But  the  persecutions  did 
not  abate.  They  flared  up  again  from  time  to  time  with  in- 
creased fury,  even  after  religion  had  become  almost  prostrate 
throughout  France.  Protestantism,  though  proscribed,  Avas 
not,  however,  dead ;  and  meetings  of  the  Huguenots  contin- 
ued to  be  held  in  "the  Desert" — by  night,  in  caves,  in  the 
woods,  among  the  hills,  by  the  sea-shore,  where  a  body  of 
faithful  pastors  ministered  to  them  at  the  hourly  peril  of 
their  lives.  The  "  Church  in  the  Desert"  was  even  regularly 
organized,  had  its  stated  elders,  deacons,  and  ministers,  and 
appointed  circuit  meetings.     Very  rarely  were  their  secrets 

*  Life  of  Sir  Samuel  Romilhj,  i.,  15. 


rilE  LAST  OF  THE  PERSECUTIONS.     .  337 

betrayed,  yet  they  could  not  always  escape  the  vigilance  of 
the  Jesuits,  who  continued  to  track  them  with  the  aid  of  the 
soldiery  and  police,  and  succeeded  in  sending  fi*esh  victims 
to  the  galleys  so  long  as  they  retained  their  power  in  France. 

Down  even  to  the  middle  of  last  century  the  persecution 
of  the  Protestants  continued  unabated.  Thus,  at  Grenoble, 
in  the  years  1745  and  1746,  more  than  three  hundred  persons 
were  condemned  to  death,  the  galleys,  or  perpetual  imprison- 
ment because  of  their  religion.  Twenty-nine  nobles  were 
condemned  to  be  deprived  of  their  nobility ;  fourteen  per- 
sons were  banished ;  four  were  condemned  to  be  flogged  by 
the  common  hangman;  six  women  were  sentenced  to  have 
their  heads  shaved  by  the  same  functionary,  and  be  impris- 
oned, some  for  difierent  periods,  others  for  life ;  two  men  were 
condemned  to  be  placed  in  the  pillory ;  thirty-four  were  sent 
to  the  galleys  for  from  three  to  five  years,  six  for  ten  years, 
and  a  hundred  and  sixteen,  among  whom  were  forty-six  gen- 
tlemen and  two  chevaliers  of  the  order  of  Saint  Louis,  were 
sent  to  the  galleys  for  life ;  and  four  were  sentenced  to  death.* 
The  only  crime  of  which  these  persons  had  been  guilty  was 
that  they  had  been  detected  attending  Protestant  worship 
contrary  to  law. 

The  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  1750,  which  gave  a  brief 
repose  to  Europe,  brought  no  peace  to  the  Huguenots.  There 
was  even  an  increase  in  the  persecutions  for  a  time,  for  there 
was  a  large  body  of  soldiery  set  at  liberty,  who  became  em- 
ployed in  hunting  down  the  Protestants  at  their  meetings  in 
"the  Desert."  Between  the  years  1750  and  1762  fifty-eight 
persons  were  condemned  to  the  galleys,  many  of  them  for  life. 
In  the  latter  year,  more  than  six  hundred  fugitives  fled  across 
the  frontier  into  Switzerland,  and  passed  down  the  Rhine, 
through  Holland  and  England,  into  Ireland,  where  they  set- 
tled. It  is  a  somewhat  remarkable  circumstance  that,  ac- 
cording to  M.  Coquerel,  one  of  the  last  women  imprisoned  for 
her  religion  was  condemned  by  an  Irish  Roman  Catholic,  then 
*  Aktoine  Court — M€moires  Historiques,  p.  94  et  sej. 

Y 


338  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  REFUGEES. 

in  the  service  of  France:  "Marguerite  Robert,  wife  of  Joseph 
Vincent,  of  Valeirarques,  in  the  diocese  ofUzes,  was  arrested 
in  her  house  because  of  having  been  married  by  a  Protestant 
pastor,  and  condemned  in  1*759  hy  3Ionseigneur  de  Thomond 
.  .  .  ce  Lord  Irlandois.''''* 

The  punishment  of  the  galleys  was  also  drawing  to  an  end. 
The  mutterings  of  the  coming  revolution  were  already  begin- 
ning to  be  heard.  The  long  uncontrolled  riile  of  the  Jesuits 
had  paved  the  way  for  Voltaire  and  Rousseau,  whose  influence 
was  beginning  to  penetrate  French  society.  In  1764  the 
Jesuits  were  suppressed  by  Parliament,  and  the  persecutions 
in  a  great  measure  ceased.  In  1769,  Alexander  Chambon,  of 
Praules,  in  the  Viverais,  the  last  galley-slave  for  the  faith, 
was  discharged  from  the  convict-prison  at  Toulon  through 
the  intervention  of  the  Prince  of  Beauveau.  Chambon  was 
then  eighty  years  old,  and  had  passed  twenty-seven  years  at 
the  galleys,  to  which  he  had  been  condemned  for  attending  a 
religious  meeting. 

The  last  apprehension  of  a  Protestant  minister  was  that  of 
M.  Broca,  of  La  Brie,  as  late  as  the  year  1773  ;  but  the  spirit 
of  persecution  had  so  much  abated  that  he  was  only  Avarned 
and  required  to  change  his  residence.  It  began  to  be  felt 
that  while  materialism  and  atheism  were  being  openly  taught 
even  by  priests  and  dignitaries  of  the  French  Church — by  the 
Abbe  de  Prades  and  others — the  persecution  of  the  Protest- 
ants could  no  longer  be  consistently  enforced,  and  they  ac- 
cordingly thenceforward  enjoyed  a  degree  of  liberty  in  the 
exercise  of  their  worship  such  as  they  had  not  experienced 
since  the  death  of  Mazarin. 

But  this  liberty  came  too  late  to  be  of  any  use  to  the  ex- 
iled Huguenots  and  their  descendants  settled  in  England, 
who  had  long  since  given  up  all  hope  of  returnijig  to  the  land 
of  their  fathers.  The  revolutionary  period  shortly  followed, 
after  which  came  the  wars  of  the  Republic,  and  the  revival  of 
the  old  feud  between  France  and  England.  Many  of  the  de* 
*  Chjlbles  Coquerel — Histoire  des  Eglesis  du  Desert,  ii.,  p.  428. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  BECOME  BRITISH.  339 

scendants  of  the  exiles,  no  longer  desiring  to  remember  their 
origin,  adopted  English  names,  and  ceased  to  be  French. 
Since  that  time  the  fusion  of  the  exiles  with  the  English  peo- 
ple has  become  complete,  even  in  Spitalfields.  There  are 
still  whole  quarters  of  streets  there  in  which  the  glazed  gar- 
rets indicate  the  dwellings  of  the  fonner  silk-weavers,  but 
most  of  them  are  unoccupied.  There  are  still  some  of  their 
old  mulberry-trees  to  be  seen  in  the  gardens  near  Spital 
Square.  Many  pure  French  names  may  still  be  observed  over 
the  shop-doors  in  that  quarter  of  London,  and  several  descend- 
ants of  the  French  manufacturei's  still  continue  to  carry  on 
the  business  of  silk-weaving  there.  Even  the  pot-au-feu  is 
still  known  in  Spitalfields,  though  the  poor  people  who  use  it 
know  not  of  its  origin.  And  although  there  are  many  de- 
scendants of  the  French  operatives  still  resident  in  the  east 
of  London,  probably  by  far  the  largest  proportion  of  them 
have  long  since  migrated  to  the  more  prosperous  manufac- 
turing districts  of  the  North. 

Throughout  the  country  there  was  the  same  efiacement  of 
the  traces  of  foreign  origin  among  the  descendants  of  the  ex- 
iles. Every  where  they  gradually  ceased  to  be  French.* 
The  foreign  manners,  customs,  and  language  probably  held 
out  the  longest  at  Portarlington,  in  Ireland,  where  the  old 
French  of  Louis  Quatorze  long  continued  to  be  spoken  in  so- 
ciety, while  the  old  French  service  was  read  in  church  down 
to  the  year  1817,  when  it  was  finally  supplanted  b}'  the  En- 
glish. 

Thus  the  refugees  of  all  classes  at  length  ceased  to  exist  as 
a  distinctive  body  among  the  people  who  had  given  them  a 
refuge,  and  they  were  eventually  absorbed  into  and  became 
an  integral  part  of  the  British  nation. 

*  The  French  mercantile  houses  in  England  and  Ireland,  who  did  business 
in  London,  long  continued  to  have  their  special  London  bankers,  among  whom 
may  be  mentioned  those  of  Bosanquet,  Puget,  etc.  The  house  of  Puget  and 
Co.,  in  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  recently  wound  up,  kept  all  their  books  in 
French  down  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 


.CHAPTER  XYIIL 

CONCLUSION. — THE   FRENCH   REVOLUTION. 

While  such  were  the  results  of  the  settlement  of  the  Prot- 
estant refugees  in  England,  let  us  briefly  glance  at  the  efiect 
of  their  banishment  on  the  countries  which  drove  them  forth. 

The  persecutions  in  Flanders  and  France  doubtless  suc- 
ceeded after  a  sort.  Philip  11.  crushed  Protestantism  in 
Flanders  as  he  did  in  Spam,  to  the  temporary  ruin  of  the 
one  country  and  the  debasement  of  the  other.  Flanders 
eventually  became  lost  to  the  Spanish  crown,  though  it  has 
since  entered  upon  a  new  and  prosperous  career  under  the 
constitutional  government  of  Belgium ;  but  Spain  sank  until 
she  reached  the  very  lowest  rank  among  the  nations  of 
Europe.  The  Inquisition  flourished,  but  the  life  of  the  na- 
tion decayed.  Spain  lost  her  commerce,  her  colonies,  her 
credit,  her  intellect,  her  character.  She  became  a  country 
of  emeutes,  revolutions,  pronunciamentos,  repudiations,  and 
intrigues.  We  have  only  to  look  at  Spain  now.  If  it  be 
true  that  in  the  long  run  the  collective  character  of  a  nation 
is  fairly  represented  by  its  government  and  its  rulers,  the 
character  of  Spain  must  have  fallen  very  low  indeed. 

And  how  fared  it  with  France  after  the  banishment  of  her 
Huguenots  ?  So  far  as  regarded  the  suppression  of  Protest- 
antism, Louis  XIV.  may  also  be  said  to  have  succeeded.  For 
more  than  a  century,  that  form  of  religion  visibly  ceased  to 
exist  in  France.  The  Protestants  had  neither  rights  nor 
privileges,  and  not  even  a  vestige  of  liberty,  for  they  were 
placed  entirely  beyond  the  pale  of  the  law.  Such  of  them 
as  would  not  be  dragooned  into  conformity  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion  were  cast  into  prison  or  sent  to  the  galleys. 
If  the  Protestants  were  not  stamped  wholly  out  of  existence, 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  GREAT  MEN.  341 

at  least  they  were  stamped  out  of  sight ;  and  if  they  contin- 
ued to  worship,  it  was  in  secret  only — in  caves,  among  the 
hills,  or  in  "  the  Desert."  Indeed,  no  measure  of  suppression 
could  have  been  more  complete.  But  now  see  with  what 
results. 

One  thing  especially  strikes  the  intelligent  reader  of  French 
history  subsequent  to  the  Act  of  Revocation,  and  that  is  the 
almost  total  disappearance  of  greiat  men  in  France.  After 
that  date  we  become  conscious  of  a  dull,  dead  level  of  sub- 
serviency and  conformity  to  the  despotic  will  of  the  king.* 
Louis  trampled  under  foot  individuality,  strength,  and  gen- 
ius, and  there  remained  only  mediocrity,  feebleness,  and 
flunkyism.  This  feature  of  the  time  has  been  noted  by 
writers  so  various  as  De  Felice,  Merivale,  Michelet,  and 
Buckle,  the  last  of  whom  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  Louis 
XIV.  "survived  the  entire  intellect  of  the  French  nation."! 

The  Protestant  universities  of  Saumur,  Montauban,  Nis- 
mes,  and  Sedan  were  suppressed,  and  the  professors  in  them 
departed  into  other  lands.  All  Protestant  schools  were 
closed,  and  the  whole  educational  organization  of  the  nation 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Jesuits.  War  was  declared 
against  the  books  forbidden  by  the  Church  of  Rome.     Dom- 

*  In  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  a  sonnet  was  privately  circulated,  fi-om  which 
the  follo\ving  is  an  extract : 

"Ce  peuple  que  jadis  Die  a  gouvemait  lai-meme 
Trop  las  de  sou  bouheur,  voulait  avoir  uu  Rol, 
He  bien,  dit  le  Seigneur,  peuple  ingrat  et  sans  foi, 
Tu  sentiras  bientot  le  poids  du  diademe. 

Ainsi  rtigne  aujourd'hui  par  les  vceux  de  la  France 
Ce  Mouarque  absoln  qu'on  uomme  Dieu-doun6." 

t  M.  Puaux,  referring  to  the  measiu-es  so  ser^^lely  passed  by  the  French 
Parliament  legalizing  and  aggrandizing  the  illegitimate  offspring  of  Louis 
XIV. ,  and  declaring  them  princes  of  the  blood  capable  of  succeeding  to  the 
throne,  goes  on  to  say :  "At  sight  of  these  councilors  of  the  red  robe,  who 
trembled  before  the  old  Sidtan  of  Versailles  in  sanctioning  the  glaring  scan- 
dals of  his  life,  one  is  justified  in  asking  whether  Fi-enchmen  continued  to  re- 
tain the  courage  displayed  by  them  on  so  many  a  field  of  battle,  and  whether 
the  cniel  saying  of  Paul-Louis  Courier  be  not  true :  '  Frenchmen,  you  are  the 
most  flunkj-ish  of  all  peoples!'  {Franrais,  vous  etes  le  plus  valet  de  tons  le 
petiples. )  We  blush  as  we  write  the  lines,  at  the  same  time  avowing  om*  be- 
lief, which  we  do  with  pride,  that  the  Great  King  would  never  have  obtained 
from  a  Huguenot  court  what  was  so  seiwilely  granted  him  by  a  Catholic  one. " 
— Puaux — Histoire  de  la  Reforviation  Fran^aise,  torn,  vii.,  p.  64. 


342  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

iciliary  visits  were  paid  by  the  district  commanders  to  ev- 
ery person  suspected  of  possessing  them ;  and  all  devotional 
books  of  sermons  and  hymns,  as  Avell  as  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments, that  could  be  found,  were  ruthlessly  burned.* 

There  was  an  end  for  a  time  of  political  and  religious  lib- 
erty in  France.  Freedom  of  thought  and  freedom  of  worship 
were  alike  crushed ;  and  then  the  new  epoch  began — of  men- 
tal stagnation,  political  depravity,  religious  hypocrisy,  and 
moral  decay.  With  the  great  men  of  the  first  half  of  Louis 
XrV.'s  reign,  the  intellectual  greatness  of  France  disappear- 
ed for  nearly  a  century.  The  Act  of  Revocation  of  1685  cut 
the  history  of  his  reign  in  two :  every  thing  before,  nothing 
after.  There  was  no  great  statesman  after  Colbert.  At  his 
death  in.  1683,  the  policy  which  he  had  so  laboriously  and  so 
grandly  initiated  was  summarily  overthrown.  The  military 
and  naval  genius  of  France  seemed  alike  paralyzed.  The 
great  victories  of  Conde  and  Turenne  on  land,  and  of  Du- 
quesne  at  sea,  preceded  the  Revocation.  After  that,  Louis's 
army  was  employed  for  years  in  hunting  and  dragounading 
the  Huguenots,  which  completely  demoralized  them,  so  that 
his  next  campaign,  that  of  1688,  began  in  disaster  and  ended 
in  disgrace. 

*  Louis  XV. ,  who  succeeded  to  Louis  XIV. ,  pursued  the  same  policy  of 
book-burning.  On  the  25th  of  April,  1727,  he  issued  an  edict  ordering  all 
"new  converts"  [i.  e.,  Protestants  who  had  been  compelled  to  conform,  or 
pretended  to  conform,  to  Popery]  to  deliver  u])  all  books  relating  to  religion 
within  fifteen  days,  for  the  purpose  of  being  burnt  in  presence  of  the  com- 
mandants of  the  respective  districts.  Those  who  did  not  so  deli^•er  up  their 
books  were  heavily  fined ;  and  if  found  guilty  a  second  time  of  withholding 
their  books,  they  were  to  be  sentenced  to  three  years'  hanishinent  and  a  fine 
amounting  to  not  less  tlian  one  third  the  value  of  their  entire  ]>roperty.  This 
measm-e  completed  the  destruction  of  the  Protestant  libraries.  The  dragoons 
were  the  Omars  of  the  time,  and  ruthlessly  carried  out  the  royal  edict  for 
the  destruction  of  Protestant  literature.  In  most  of  the  towns  and  villages 
throughout  France  great  bonfires  were  lit,  into  which  were  cast  thousands  of 
volumes,  including  Bil)les  and  Testaments.  Hence  the  great  rarity  of  some 
of  the  earlier  editions  of  the  8cri})tures,  wliich  are  now  only  to  be  met  with 
out  of  France.  The  most  considerable  auto-da-fe  of  this  kind  took  place  at 
Beaucaire,  where  many  thousand  volumes  of  rare  and  valuable  liook.s  were 
consumed  on  a  great  \n\&  lit  in  front  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  in  the  presence  of 
the  nmnicipal  authorities,  and  of  M.  de  Beaulieu,  sub-delegate  of  the  intend- 
ant  of  Languedoc. 


NATIONAL  PARALYSIS.  343 

The  same  barrenness  fell  upon  literature.  Moliere,  the 
greatest  of  French  comedians,  died  of  melancholy  in  1674, 
Racine,  the  greatest  of  French  poets  and  dramatists,  died  in 
1697,  but  his  genius  may  be  said  to  have  culminated  with 
the  production  oi  PhcBilre  in  1676.  Corneille  died  in  1684, 
but  his  last,  though  not  his  greatest  work,  Surena,  was  pro- 
duced in  1674.  La  Fontaine  published  his  last  fables  in 
1679. 

"  With  Pascal,  a  man  as  remarkable  for  his  piety  as  for  his 
genius,  expired  in  1662  the  last  free  utterance  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  in  France.  He  died  protesting  to  the  last 
against  the  immorality  and  despotism  of  the  jDrinciples  of  the 
Jesuits.  It  is  true,  after  the  Revocation  there  remained  of 
the  great  French  clergy  Bossuet,  Bourdaloue,  and  Fenelon. 
They  were,  however,  the  products  of  the  first  half  of  Louis's 
reign,  and  they  were  the  last  of  their  race ;  for  we  shall  find 
that  the  efiect  of  the  king's  policy  was  to  strike  with  paraly- 
sis the  very  Church  which  he  sought  exclusively  to  establish 
and  maintain. 

After  this  period  we  seem  to  tread  a  dreary  waste  in 
French  history.  Time  loyalty  became  extinguished,  and  even 
patriotism  seemed  to  have  expired.  Literature,  science,  and 
the  arts  almost  died  out,  and  there  remained  a  silence  almost 
as  of  the  grave,  broken  only  by  the  noise  of  the  revelries  at 
court,  amid  which  there  rose  up  from  time  to  time  the  omi- 
nous wailings  of  the  gaunt  and  famishing  multitude. 

The  policy  of  Louis  XIV.  had  succeeded,  and  France  was 
at  length  "  converted."  Protestantism  had  been  crushed,  and 
the  Jesuits  were  triumphant.  Their  power  over  the  bodies 
and  souls  of  the  people  was  as  absolute  as  law  could  make 
it.  The  whole  education  of  the  country  was  placed  in  their 
hands,  and  what  the  character  of  the  next  generation  was  to 
be  depended  in  a  great  measure  upon  them.  Not  only  the 
churches  and  the  schools,  but  even  the  national  prisons,  were 
controlled  by  them.  They  were  the  confessors  of  the  bas- 
tiles,  of  which  there  were  twenty  in  France,  where  persons 


344  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

could  be  iucarcerated  for  life  on  the  authority  merely  of  let- 
tres  de  cachet,  which  were  given  away  or  sold.*  Besides  the 
bastiles  and  the  galleys,f  over  which  the  Jesuits  presided, 
there  were  also  the  state  prisons,  of  which  Paris  alone  con- 
tained about  thirty,  besides  convents,  where  persons  might 
be  immured  without  any  sentence,  "  Surely  never,"  says 
Michelet,  "  had  man's  dearest  treasure,  liberty,  been  more 
lavishly  squandered," 

The  Church  in  France  had  grown  immensely  rich  by  the 
property  of  the  Protestants  which  was  transferred  to  it,  as 
well  as  by  royal  grants  and  private  benefactions.  So  far  as 
money  went,  it  had  the  means  and  the  power  of  doing  all 
that  it  would  in  moulding  the  mind  and  conscience  of  the 
French  nation.  The  clergy  held  in  their  hands  one  fifth  of 
the  whole  landed  property  of  the  country,  estimated  to  be 
worth  about  £160,000,000  ;  and  attached  to  these  lands  were 
the  serfs,  whom  they  continued  to  hold  as  such  until  the  Rev- 
olution.! 

And  now  let  us  see  what  was  the  outcome  of  the  action  of 
this  Church,  so  rich  and  so  powerful,  after  enjoying  a  centu- 
ry of  undisputed  authority  in  France.  All  other  faiths  had 
been  expelled  to  make  way  for  it ;  Protestantism  had  been 
exterminated,  and  free  thought  of  all  kinds  had  shrunk  for  a 
time  out  of  sight. 

What  was  the  result  of  this  exclusive  action  upon  the 
mind  and  conscience  of  the  French  people  ?     The  result  was 

*  Saint  Florentin  alone  gave  away  no  fewer  than  50,000.  Many  of  the 
})ersons  immured  in  these  horrible  places  were  forgotten,  or,  if  they  succeeded 
in  obtaining  tlieir  release,  they  sometimes  issued  from  then-  dungeons  ^vitb 
their  ears  and  noses  gnawed  away  by  rats. 

t  In  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  "The  Well-Beloved,"  the  galleys  still  con- 
tained many  Protestants,  besides  persons  who  had  been  detected  aiding  Prot- 
estants to  escape.  They  were  regarded  as  veritable  slaves,  and  were  occa- 
sionally sold,  the  price  of  a  galley-slave  in  the  Well-Beloved's  reign  being 
about  £120.     Voltaire  was  presented  with  a  galley-slave  by  M.  de  Choiseul. 

t  The  clergy  still  possessed  serfs  in  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  The 
whole  of  the  eighteenth  century  had  passed  away,  together  with  all  the  liber- 
ators, both  Rousseau  and  Voltaire,  whose  last  thought  was  the  enfranchise- 
ment of  the  Jura.  Yet  the  priest  had  still  his  serfs.  .  .  .  Bondage  was 
not  expressly  abolished  till  March,  171)0. — Michelet — History  of  the  French 
Revolution. 


REIGN  OF  INFIDELITY. 


utter  emptiness :  to  use  the  words  of  Carlyle,  "  emptiness  of 
pocket,  of  stomach,  of  head,  and  of  heart."  The  Church  which 
had  claimed  and  obtained  the  sole  control  of  the  religious  ed- 
ucation of  France  saw  itself  assailed  by  its  own  offspring — 
desperate,  ignorant,  and  so  ferocious  that  in  some  places  they 
even  seized  the  priests  and  indecently  scourged  them  m  front 
of  their  own  altars.* 

The  nation  that  would  not  have  the  Bayles,  and  Claudes, 
and  Saurins  of  a  century  before,  now  cast  themselves  at  the 
feet  of  the  Voltaires,  Rousseaus,  and  Diderots.  Though 
France  would  not  have  the  God  of  the  Huguenot's  Bible,  be- 
hold now  she  accepts  the  evangel  according  to  Jean  Jacques, 
and  a  poor  bedizened  creature,  clad  in  tawdry,  is  led  through 
the  streets  of  Paris  in  the  character  of  the  Goddess  of 
Reason  ! 

But  a  large  number  of  the  clergy  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  France  had  themselves  long  ceased  to  believe  in 
the  truth  of  what  they  professed  to  teach.  Tliey  had  grown 
utterly  corrupted  and  demoralized.  Their  monasteries  were 
the  abodes  of  idleness  and  self-indulgence.  Their  j^ulpits 
were  mute :  their  books  were  empty.  The  doctors  of  the 
Sorbonne  still  mumbled  their  accustomed  jargon,  but  it  had 
become  powerless.  Instead  of  the  great  churchmen  of  the 
past  —  Bossuet,  Bourdaloue,  and  Fenelon — there  were  such 
blind  leaders  of  the  blind  as  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan,  the 
profligate  confederate  of  Madame  la  Motte  in  the  affair  of 
the  diamond  necklace;  the  Abbe  Si^yes,  the  constitution- 
monger  ;  the  Abbe  Raynal,  the  open  assailant  of  Christianity 
in  every  form;  and  Father  Lomenie,  the  avowed  atheist.f 

*  Carlyle — French  Revolution,  ii.,  p.  2. 

t  At  the  Kevolution  many  of  the  priests  openly  abjured  Christianity,  and 
were  applauded  accordingly.  The  Bishop  of  Perigaux  presented  the  woman 
whom  he  had  married  to  the  Convention,  saying,  "I  have  taken  her  from 
among  the  sans  cidottes."  His  speech  was  hailed  with  immense  applause. 
Gobel,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  presented  himself  at  the  bar  of  the  Convention, 
with  his  vicars  and  many  of  his  curates,  and  desired  to  lay  at  the  feet  of  the 
Assembly  their  sacerdotal  garments.  "Citizens,"  said  the  president  in  reply, 
"you  are  worthy  of  the  Eepublic,  because  you  have  sacrificed  at  the  altar  of 
your  country  these  Gothic  bawbles."     Gobel  and  his  priests  then  douned  the 


340  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

The  corrupt,  self-condemned  institution  became  a  target  for 
the  wit  of  Voltaire  and  the  encyclopoBdic  philosophy  of  Did- 
erot. It  was  next  assailed  by  the  clubs  of  Marat,  Danton,  and 
Robespierre.  Then  the  unfed,  untaught,  desj^erate  victims 
of  centuries  of  oppression  and  misguidance  rose  up  almost  as 
one  man,  and  cried  "  Away  with  it" — Ecrasez  VInfcmie.  The 
churches  were  attacked  and  gutted,  as  those  of  the  Hugue- 
nots had  been  a  century  before.  The  church-bells  were  cast 
into  cannon,  the  church-plate  coined  into  money ;  and  at 
length  Christianity  itself  was  abolished  by  the  Convention, 
who  declared  the  Supreme  People  to  be  the  only  God  ! 

The  Roman  Catholic  clergy,  who  had  so  long  witnessed  the 
persecutions  of  the  Huguenots,  were  now  persecuted  in  their 
turn  by  their  own  flocks.  Many  of  them  Avere  guillotined ; 
others,  chained  together  as  the  Huguenots  had  been,  were  sent 
prisoners  to  Rochelle  and  the  Isle  of  Aix.  As  a  body  of  them 
passed  through  Limoges  on  their  Avay  to  the  galleys,  they 
encountered  a  procession  of  asses  clothed  in  priests'  dresses, 
a  mitred  sow  marching  at  their  hea;d.  Some  400  priests  lay 
riding  in  Aix  Roads,  where  the  Huguenot  galley-slaves  had 
been  before  them — "  ragged,  sordid,  hungry,  Avasted  to  shad- 
ows, eatmg  their  vmclean  rations  on  deck,  circularly,  in  parties 
of  a  dozen,  with  finger  and  thumb ;  beating  their  scandalous 
clothes  between  two  stones;  choked  in  horrible  miasmata, 
under  close  hatches,  seventy  of  them  in  a  berth  through  the 
night,  so  that  the  aged  priest  is  found  lying  dead  in  the  morn- 
ing in  an  attitude  of  prayer."* 

Such  was  the  real  outcome  of  the  Act  of  Revocation  of 
Louis  the  Great — Sansculottism  and  the  Reign  of  Terror ! 
There  was  no  longer  the  massacre  and  banishment  of  Hugue- 
nots, but  there  was  the  guillotining  and  banishment  of  the 

bonnet  roiujc  in  token  of  fraternization  with  the  "Friends  of  Men."  Num- 
bers of  priests  came  dail}-  and  gave  up  to  tlie  Convention  their  letters  of 
priesthood.  I'uaux  says,  "Those  of  their  predecessors  who  distinguished 
themselves  in  the  crusades  against  the  Huguenots  had  slipped  their  foot  in 
blood ;  but  these  fell  lower — their  foot  slipped  in  mud." 
*  Cablyle — French  Revolution,  ii.,  338. 


STARVATION  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  347 

successors  of  the  priests  whom  Louis  had  set  up.  There  was 
one  other  point  in  which  1793  resembled  1685.  The  fugitive 
priests  fled  in  precisely  the  same  direction  in  which  the  Hu- 
guenot pastors  had  done ;  and  again  the  persecuted  for  relig- 
ion's sake  made  for  the  old  free  land  of  England,  to  join  the 
descendants  of  the  Huguenots,  driven  out  of  France  for  alto- 
gether different  reasons  a  century  before. 

But  the  Roman  Catholic  priests  did  not  fly  alone.  They 
were  accompanied  by  the  nobles,  the  superintendents  of  the 
dragonnades.  Never,  since  the  flight  of  Huguenots  which 
followed  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  had  there 
been  such  an  emigration  of  Frenchmen  from  France.  But 
there  was  this  difference  between  the  emigrations  of  1685  and 
1793,  that  whereas  in  the  former  period  the  people  who  emi- 
grated consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  industrious  classes,  in 
the  latter  period  they  consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  idle 
classes.  The  men  who  now  fled  Avere  the  nobles  and  priests, 
who  had  so  misguided  and  mistaught  the  people  intrusted  to 
their  charge  that  in  nearly  all  parts  of  France  they  had  at 
length  risen  up  in  fierce  rebellion  against  them. 

The  great  body  of  the  people  had  become  reduced  to  abso- 
lute destitution.  They  had  no  possession  whatever  but  their 
misery.  They  were  literally  dying  of  hunger.  The  Bishop 
of  Chartres  told  Louis  XV.  that  in  his  diocese  the  men  browsed 
like  sheep.  For  want  of  food,  they  filled  their  stomachs  with 
grass.  The  dragoons,  who  had  before  been  em2:)loyed  to  hunt 
down  the  Huguenots  because  of  their  attending  religious 
meetings,  were  now  employed  on  a  different  duty.  They 
were  stationed  in  the  market-places  where  meal  was  exposed 
for  sale  to  keep  back  the  famishing  people.  In  Paris  alone 
there  were  200,000  beggars  prowling  about,  with  sallow  faces, 
hink  hair,  and  hung  in  rags.  Li  1789,  crowds  of  them  were 
seen  hovering  about  the  Palais  Royal — spectral-looking  men 
and  starving  women,  delirious  from  fasting.  Some  were  said 
not  to  have  eaten  for  three  whole  days.  The  women  wan- 
dered  about  like  hungry  lionesses,  for  they  had   children. 


348  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

One  Foulon,  a  member  of  the  king's  council,  on  being  told  of 
the  famine  endured  by  the  people,  said,  "  Wait  till  I  am  min- 
ister :  I  will  make  them  eat  hay ;  my  horses  eat  it."  The 
words  were  bitterly  avenged.  Tlie  hungry  mob  seized  Fou- 
lon, hanged  him  a  Id  lanterne.,  and  carried  his  head  about  the 
streets,  his  mouth  filled  with  hay. 

From  the  provinces  news  came  that  the  starving  helots  were 
every  where  rising,  burning  down  the  chateaus  of  the  nobles, 
tearing  up  their  title-deeds,  and  destroying  their  crops.  On 
these  occasions  the  church-bells  were  rung  by  way  of  tocsin, 
and  the  population  of  the  parish  turned  out  to  the  work  of 
destruction.  Seventy-two  chateaus  were  Avrecked  and  burnt 
in  the  Ma9onnais  and  Beaujolais  alone ;  and  the  conflagration 
spread  throughout  Dauphiny,  Alsace,  and  the  Lyonuais,  the 
very  quarters  from  which  the  Huguenots  had  been  so  fero- 
ciously driven  out  a  century  before. 

There  was  scarcely  a  district  in  which  the  Huguenots  liad 
pursued  their  various  branches  of  industry,  now  wholly  sup- 
pressed, in  which  the  starving  and  infuriated  peasantry  did 
not  work  wild  havoc,  and  take  revenge  upon  their  lords. 
They  had  learned  but  too  well  the  lessons  of  the  sword,  the 
dungeon,  and  the  scafibld,  which  their  rulers  had  taught  them, 
and  the  Reign  of  Terror  which  followed  was  but  the  natural 
outcome  of  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  the  wars  of 
the  dragonnades,  the  ci'uelties  which  followed  the  Act  of  Rev- 
ocation, and  a  long  course  of  like  teaching.  But  the  victims 
had  now  changed  places.  Now  it  was  the  nobles  who  were 
persecuted,  burnt  out,  had  their  estates  confiscated,  and  were 
compelled  to  fly  for  their  lives. 

The  dragonnades  of  the  Huguenots  became  repeated  in  the 
noyades  of  the  Royalists ;  and  again  Nancy,  Lyons,  Rouen, 
Bordeaux,  Montauban,  and  numerous  other  places,  witnessed 
a  repetition  of  the  cruelties  of  the  preceding  century.  At 
Nantes,  where  the  famous  Edict  of  Toleration,  afterward  re* 
voked,  was  proclaimed,  the  guillotine  was  worked  until  the 
headsman  sank  exhausted ;  and  to  hasten  matters,  a  general 


REIGN  OF  TERROR.  349 

fusillade  in  the  plain  of  St.  Mauve  followed,  of  men,  women, 
and  children.  At  Paris,  the  hideous  Marat  called  for  "  eight 
hundred  gibbets,"  in  convenient  rows,  to  hang  the  enemies  of 
the  .people.  He  would  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of 
"  tAvo  hundred  thousand  aristocratic  heads." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  pursue  the  dreadful  story  farther. 
Sufiice  it  to  say  that  the  nobles,  like  the  priests,  fled  out  of 
France  to  escape  the  fury  of  the  people,  and  they  too  made 
for  England,  where  they  received  the  same  asylum  that  had 
been  extended  to  their  clergy,  and  before  them  to  the  Hugue- 
nots. To  prevent  the  flight  of  the  noblesse,  the  same  meas- 
ures were  adopted  by  the  Convention  which  Louis  XIV. 
adopted  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  Huguenots.  The  front- 
iers were  strictly  guarded,  and  all  the  roads  patroled  which 
led  out  of  France.  Severe  laws  were  passed  against  emigra- 
tion, and  the  estates  of  fugitive  aristocrats  were  declared  to 
be  confiscated  to  the  state.  Nevertheless,  many  succeeded 
in  making  their  escajse  into  Switzerland,  Germany,  and  En- 
gland. 

It  fared  still  worse  with  Louis  XVI.  and  his  beautiful 
cfueen  Marie  Antoinette.  They  were  the  most  illustrious  vic- 
tims of  the  barbarous  policy  of  Louis  XIV.  That  monarch 
had  sowed  the  wind,  and  they  now  reaped  the  whirlwind. 
A  mob  of  starving  men  and  v/omen,  the  genume  offsjix-ing  of 
the  Great  King,  burst  in  upon  Louis  and  his  consort  at  Ver- 
sailles, shouting  "Bread!  bread!"  They  were  very  differ- 
ent from  the  plumed  and  garlanded  courtiers  accustomed  to 
worship  in  these  gilded  saloons,  and  by  no  means  so  obse- 
quious. They  insisted  on  the  king  and  queen  accompanying 
them  to  Paris,  virtually  their  prisoners.  The  royal  family 
tried  to  escape,  as  the  Huguenots  had  done  before  them, 
across  the  frontier  into  Germany.  But  in  vain.  The  king's 
own  highway  was  closed  against  him,  and  the  fugitives  were 
led  back  to  Paris  and  the  guillotine. 

The  last  act  of  the  unfortunate  Louis  was  his  attempt  to 
address  a  few  words  to  his  subjects,  when  the  drums  were 


350  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

ordered  to  be  beaten,  and  his  voice  was  drowned  by  the 
noise.  It  was  remembered  that  the  last  occasion  on  which  a 
like  scene  had  occurred  in  France  was  on  the  occasion  of  the 
execution  of  the  young  Huguenot  pastor  Fulcran  Rey  at 
Beaucaire.  When  he  opened  his  mouth  publicly  to  confess 
his  faith,  the  drummers  posted  round  the  scaffold  were 
ordered  to  beat,  and  his  dying  speech  remained  unheard. 
The  slaughter  of  the  martyred  preacher  was  thus  terribly 
avenged. 

We  think  we  are  justified  in  saying  that,  but  for  the  per- 
secution and  expulsion  of  the  Huguenots  at  the  Revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  in  1685,  the  Revolution  of  1V89  most 
probably  never  would  have  occurred.  The  Protestants  sup- 
plied that  enterprising  and  industrious  middle  class  which 
gives  stability  to  every  state.  They  provided  remunerative 
employment  for  the  population,  while  at  the  same  time 
they  enriched  the  kingdom  by  their  enterprise  and  industry. 
Moreover,  they  furnished  that  virtuous  and  religious  element 
in  society  without  which  a  nation  is  but  so  much  chaff  that 
is  driven  before  the  wind.  When  they  were  suppressed  or 
banished,  there  was  an  end  to  their  industrial  undertakings. 
The  farther  growth  of  a  prosperous  middle  class  was  prevent- 
ed ;  and  the  misgovernment  of  the  ruling  class  being  un- 
checked, the  great  body  of  the  working  order  were  left  to 
idleness,  nakedness,  and  famine.  Faith  in  God  and  in  good 
died  out;  religion,  as  represented  by  the  degenerate  priest- 
hood, fell  into  contempt,  and  the  reign  of  materialism  and 
atheism  began.  Frightful  distress  at  length  culminated  in 
revolution  and  anarchy ;  and  there  being  no  element  of  sta- 
bility in  the  state — no  class  possessing  moral  weight  to  stand 
between  the  infuriated  people  at  the  one  end  of  the  social 
scale,  and  the  king  and  nobles  at  the  other — the  imposture 
erected  by  the  Great  Louis  was  assailed  on  all  sides,  and 
king,  Church,  and  nobility  were  at  once  swept  away. 

As  regards  the  emigration  of  the  Huguenots  in  1685,  and 
of  the  nobles  and  clergy  in  1V89,  it  must  be  acknowledged 


THE  TWO  EMIGRATIONS.  351 

that  the  former  was  by  much  the  most  calamitous  to  France. 
"Was  the  one  emigration  greater  than  the  other?"  says 
Michelet.  "I  do  not  know.  That  of  1685  was  probably 
from  three  to  four  hundred  thousand  persons.  However  this 
may  be,  there  was  this  great  diiference :  France,  at  the  emi- 
gration of '89,  lost  its  idlers  ;  at  the  other  its  workers.  The 
terror  of  '89  struck  the  individual,  and  each  feared  for  his 
life.  The  terror  of  the  dragonnades  struck  at  heart  and  con- 
science ;  then  men  feared  for  their  all." 

The  one  emigration  consisted  for  the  most  part  of  nobles 
and  clergy,  who  left  no  traces  of  their  settlement  in  the  coun- 
tries w^hich  gave  them  asylum;  the  other  emigration  com- 
prised all  the  constituent  elements  of  a  people — skilled  work- 
men in  all  branches,  manufacturers,  merchants,  and  profes- 
sional men ;  and  wherever  they  settled  they  founded  numer- 
ous useful  establishments  which  were  a  source  of  prosperity 
and  wealth. 

Assuredly  England  has  no  reason  to  regret  the  asylum 
which  she  has  in  all  times  so  freely  granted  to  fugitives  fly- 
ing from  religious  persecution  abroad;  least  of  all  has  she 
reason  to  regret  the  settlement  within  her  borders  of  so 
large  a  number  of  industrious,  intelligent,  and  high-minded 
Frenchmen,  Avho  have  made  this  country  their  home  since  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and  thereby  not  only  stim- 
ulated, and  in  a  measure  created,  British  industry,  but  also  in- 
fluenced, in  a  remarkable  degree,  our  political  and  religious 
history. 


APPENDIX. 


,      I.  EARLY  SETTLEMENT  OF  FOREIGN  ARTISANS  IN 
ENGLAND. 

The  first  extensive  immigration  of  foreign  artisans  of  whicli  we  have  any 
account  took  place  in  tlie  reign  of  Henry  II.  It  was  occasioned  by  an  inun- 
dation in  the  Low  Countries  which  disjiossessed  many  of  the  inhabitants,  wlien 
large  numbers  of  them  came  over  into  England.  They  were  well  received  by 
the  king,  who  forwarded  a  oody  of  them  to  Carlisle,  for  the  purpose  of  plant- 
ing them  on  the  then  unsettled  and  almost  desert  lands  adjacent  to  the  Scotch 
border.  But  the  lawless  state  of  the  district  was  fatal  to  the  quiet  pursuits 
of  the  Flemings,  and  Henry  subsequently  directed  their  removal  to  the  penin- 
sula of  Gower,  in  South  Wales.  There  the  Flemings  began  and  successfully 
carried  on  their  trade  of  cloth-weaving.  They  formed  a  community  by  them- 
selves, and  jealously  preseiwed  their  nationality.  The  district  long  continued 
to  be  known  as  "Little  England  beyond  Wales;"  and  to  this  day  the  com- 
munity of  Gower  is  to  a  great  extent  distinct  and  separate  from  that  of  the 
suiTounding  country. 

Another  colony  of  Flemings  settled  about  the  same  time  at  Worsted,  near 
Norwich,  and  "worsted"  stuffs  soon  became  common.  These  colonists  were 
the  first  to  introduce  into  England  water-driven  corn-mills,  wind-mills,  and 
fuUing-miUs.  They  also  reintroduced  the  art  of  building  in  brick,  which  had. 
not  been  practiced  in  England  since  the  time  of  the  Romans.  Traces  of  their 
early  brick-work  are  still  observable  in  several  of  the  old  churches  at  Norwich 
and  Worsted — Worsted  church  furnishing  an  unmistakable  specimen  of  early 
Flemish  architecture.  Other  colonies  of  Flemish  fishermen  settled  at  Brigh- 
ton, Newhaven,  and  other  places  along  the  south  coast,  where  their  lineage  is 
still  traceable  in  local  words,  names;  and  places.* 

Other  Flemings  established  themselves  still  farther  north. t  At  Berwick- 
upon-Tweed  they  occupied  a  large  factoiy  called  the  Red  Hall,  situated  in  the 

*  "Strombolo"  or  "  stromballeu"  (stream-balls)  is  the  pure  Flemish  iiame  given 
here  to  pieces  of  black  bitumen,  charged  with  sulphur  and  salt,  found  along  the  coast. 
It  is  one  of  the  many  indications  of  an  early  Flemish  colony  of  fishers.— Mureay's 
Sussex. 

t  A  writer  in  the  Edinburg  Revieiv  (July,  1803)  says,  "During  the  twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth centuries  Flemish  colonies  have  been  traced  in  Berwick,  St.  Andrew's,  Perth, 
Dumbarton,  Ayr,  Peebles,  Lanark,  Edinburg,  and  in  the  districts  of  Renfrewshire, 
Clydesdale,  and  Aunandale  These  strangers  lived  under  the  protection  of  a  special 
code  of  mercantile  law ;  and  recent  investigations  have  established  the  fact  that,  a 
hundred  years  before  the  great  Baltic  Association  came  into  being,  wc  had  a  Hanse- 
atic  League  in  Scotland,  small  and  unimportant  comparatively,  but  known  by  that 
very  name.  This  was  in  the  time  of  David  I.,  toward  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury." 

z 


354  EARLY  FOREIGN  ARTISANS. 

main- street  of  the  town.  The  principal  business  carried  on  by  them  there  was 
the  export  of  wool,  wool-fells,  iind  hides,  and  the  import  of  iron,  weapons,  im- 
plements, and  merchandise  of  various  kinds.  These  Flemish  traders  were 
under  the  special  protection  of  the  bcotch  king,  to  whom  they  rendered  loyal 
service  in  returii ;  for  history  relates  that  on  the  storming  of  Benvick  l)y  Ed- 
ward I.,  in  12'.)(!,  the  Flemings  barricaded  themselves  in  the  Red  Hall,  and 
defended  themselves  with  such  courage  and  obstinacy  that,  rather  than  sur- 
render, they  were  buried  to  a  man  in  the  ruins. 

A  new  impidse  was  given  to  the  immigration  of  Flemish  artisans  into  En- 
gland by  the  jjrotracted  intestine  feuds  arising  out  of  the  dniastic  quarrels  of 
the  Burgundian  princes,  which  unsettled  industry  and  kept  the  Low  Countries 
in  a  state  of  constant  turmoil.  But  perhaps  a  still  more  potent  cause  of  Flem- 
ish emigration  was  the  severity  of  the  regulations  enforced  by  the  guilds  or 
trades  unions  of  Flanders,  Ghent,  Bruges,  Liege,  and  the  other  great  towns, 
which  became  so  many  centres  of  commercial  monopoly.  The  rich  guilds 
combined  to  crush  the  poorer  ones,  and  the  i)rivileged  to  root  out  the  unpriv- 
ileged. Such  artisans  as  would  not  submit  to  their  exactions  were  liable  to 
have  their  looms  broken  and  their  dwellings  gutted,  and  to  be  themselves  ex- 
jielled  with  their  fiimiUes  beyond  the  walls.  If  they  took  shelter  in  the  neigh- 
boring villages,  and  began  to  exercise  their  calling  there,  they  were  occasion- 
ally j)ursued  by  the  armed  men  of  the  guilds,  who  burned  down  the  places 
which  had  given  them  refuge,  and  drove  them  forth  into  the  wide  world  with 
no  other  jiossession  than  their  misery.''* 

Tliese  persecuted  artisans,  who  had  earned  their  living  for  the  most  part 
by  working  up  English  wool  into  F'lemish  cloth,  naturally  turned  their  eyes 
in  the  direction  of  FLngland,  and  all  who  could  find  the  means  of  emigrating 
made  haste  to  fly,  and  place  the  sea  between  them  and  the  tyranny  of  the 
trades  unions. 

Although  the  early  English  kings  liad  been  accustomed  to  encourage  the 
immigration  of  foreign  artisans,  it  was  not  until  the  reign  of  Edward  III., 
usually  styled  "the  father  of  English  commerce,"  that  any  decided  progress 
A\as  made  by  this  country  in  manufacturing  industry.  That  sagacious  mon- 
arch held  that,  as  regarded  the  necessaries  of  life,  clothing  as  well  as  food,  the 
people  of  his  kingdom  should  be  as  ranch  as  possible  independent  of  foreign 
supply.  In  the  early  part  of  his  reign  the  English  jjeople  relied  mainly  upon 
the  Flemish  manufocturers  for  the  better  sorts  of  clothing,  while  the  English 
wool-growers  looked  to  the  Flemish  wool-markets  as  the  chief  outlet  for  their 
])roduce.  80  long  as  peaceful  relations  existed  between  the  two  covnitries,  the 
exchange  of  the  raw  produce  for  the  manufiictured  articles  went  on,  to  the 
benefit  of  both.  But  when  these  were  interrupted  by  civic  broils  in  Flanders, 
liy  feuds  among  the  guilds,  or  by  war  between  the  two  countries,  serious  in- 
conveniences were  immediately  felt.  The  English  ])roducer  lost  a  market  for 
Ills  stajjle  at  the  same  time  that  the  EngUsh  consumer  was  deprived  of  the 
supi)ly  of  clothing  on  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to  rely. 

The  question  naturally  occurred  to  the  English  king,  Why  not  establish 
markets  for  the  staple  at  home,  and  work  up  the  wool  into  cloth  by  the  hands 

*  See  Ai.tmf.vf.r's  curious  pamphlet  illustrative  of  this  subject,  entitled  Notices  ni»- 
toriqties  sttr  la  Villc  de  Pirpcrinrihcn,  Gheut,  1S40. 


THE  FLEMISH  CLOTH-  WE  A  VERS.  355 

of  our  own  people  ?  This  appeared  to  him  both  reasonable  and  desirable ;  and 
to  accomplish  both  objects,  Edward  proceeded  to  invite  Flemish  artisans  to 
come  over  in  increased  numbers  and  settle  in  England,  with  the  \'iew  of  teach- 
ing the  English  work-people  the  arts  of  spinning,  dyeing,  and  weaving  the 
best  kinds  of  cloth.  He  accordingly  sent  abroad  agents  to  induce  them  to 
come  over  to  this  country,  promising  them  protection,  and  holding  out  liberal 
offers  to  such  as  should  embrace  his  invitation. 

Fidler,  in  his  Church  History,  gives  the  following  curious  account  of  the 
means  resorted  to  by  Edward  :  "  Englishmen,"  he  says,  "at  this  time  knew- 
no  more  what  to  do  with  the  wool  than  the  sheep  that  wear  it,  as  to  any  arti- 
ficial and  curious  drapery,  their  best  cloths  being  no  better  than  friezes,  such 
was  their  coarseness  from  want  of  skill  in  the  making.  Unsuspected  emis- 
saries ^vere  employed  by  our  king  in  those  countries,  who  wrought  themselves 
into  f.imiliarity  with  such  Dutchmen  as  were  absolute  masters  of  their  trade, 
but  not  masters  of  themselves,  as  jouraeymen  and  apprentices.  They  be- 
moaned the  slavishness  of  these  poor  servants,  whom  their  masters  used  rath- 
er like  heathens  than  Christians  ;  yea,  rather  like  horses  than  men ;  early  up, 
and  late  in  bed,  and  all  day  hard  work,  and  harder  fire,  as  a  few  herrings  and 
mouldy  cheese,  and  all  to  enrich  the  churls  their  masters,  with  profit  to  them- 
selves. But  oh !  how  happy  should  they  be  if  they  would  but  come  into  En- 
gland, bringing  their  mystery  with  them,  which  would  provide  them  welcome 
in  all  places.  Here  they  should  feed  on  fat  beef  and  mutton  till  nothing  but 
their  fullness  shoidd  stint  their  stomachs.  Yea,  they  should  feed  on  the  la- 
bors of  their  own  hands,  enjoying  a  proportionable  profit  of  their  gains  to 
themselves ;  their  beds  should  be  good,  and  their  bedfellows  better,  seeing 
the  richest  yeomen  in  England  would  not  disdain  to  many  their  daughters 
imto  them,  and  such  the  English  beauties  that  the  most  envious  foreigner 
could  not  but  commend  them." 

The  representations  made  by  Edward's  agents  were  not  without  their  efiect 
in  inducing  many  of  the  distressed  Flemings  to  come  over  and  settle  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  England.  But  another  circumstance  materially  contributed  to 
hasten  the  exodus  of  the  foreign  artisans.  This  was  the  sudden  outbreak  of 
war  between  England  and  France  in  1330.  Philip  de  Valois,  the  French 
king,  artfully  stirred  up  Louis  de  Nevers,  Count  of  Flanders,  to  strike  a  blow 
against  England  in  his  behalf;  and  an  order  was  issued  by  him  for  the  arrest 
of  all  the  English  then  in  the  Low  Countries.  The  order  was  executed ;  but 
it  was  speedily  felt  that  the  blow  had  been  struck  at  Flanders  rather  than  at 
England. 

Edward,  on  his  part,  was  not  slow  to  retaUate.  He  prohibited  the  export 
of  English  wool  as  well  as  the  import  of  Flemish  cloth.  The  Flemings  thus 
found  themselves  at  the  same  moment  deprived  of  their  indispensable  supply 
of  raw  material,  and  shut  out  from  one  of  the  principal  markets  for  the  sale 
of  their  goods.  At  the  same  time  Edward  took  the  opportunity  of  reiterat- 
ing, which  he  did  with  increased  effect,  his  invitation  to  the  Flemish  artisans 
to  come  over  to  England,  ^\•here  they  would  be  amply  supplied  with  m'ooI,  and 
provided  with  ready  markets  for  all  the  cloth  they  could  manufocture.  He 
granted  a  charter  for  the  express  puqjose  of  protecting  such  foreign  merchants 
and  artisans  as  might  settle  in  England,  guaranteeing  them  security  in  the 


356  EARLY  FOREIGN  ARTISANS. 

pursuit  of  their  industry,  freedom  to  trade  \\'ithin  the  realm,  exemption  from 
certain  duties,  good  and  prompt  justice,  good  weight,  and  good  measure.* 
These  measures  proved  successful  in  a  remarkable  degree.  Large  numbers 
of  Flemings  forthwith  migrated  into  England,  bringing  with  them  their  tools, 
their  skill,  and  their  industry.  The  French  king  tried,  when  too  late,  to  stop 
the  emigration,  but  he  found  it  inij)ossible  to  stop  the  flight  of  the  artisans 
through  the  ports  of  Flanders  into  the  dominions  of  his  enemy. 

The  great  migrations  of  Flemings  into  England  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
III.  may  be  said,  in  some  measure,  to  have  laid  the  foundations  of  English 
manufacturing  industiy.  The  Dutch  statesman  De  Witt,  referring  to  it  as 
matter  of  history,  observed  that  before  the  removal  of  the  cloth-trade  to  En- 
gland the  Netherlanders  could  deal  well  enough  with  the  English,  "  they  be- 
ing only  shepherds  and  wool-merchants,  "t  Michelet  also,  reviewing  the  same 
events,  says,  "Before  England  was  the  great  manufectoiy  of  ironware  and 
woolens  for  the  world,  she  was  a  manufactoiy  of  wool  and  meat.     From  time 

immemorial  her  peojile  had  been  a  cattle-breeding,  sheep-rearing  race 

I  take  it  that  the  English  character  has  been  seriously  modified  by  these  emi- 
grations, which  ■\\ent  on  during  the  whole  of  the  fourteenth  centuiy.  Previ- 
ously we  find  no  indications  of  that  patient  industry  which  now  distinguishes 
the  English.  By  endeavoring  to  sei)arate  Flanders  and  England,  the  French 
king  only  stimulated  Flemish  emigration,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  England's 
manufactures,  "f 

The  Flemish  cloth-workers,  as  the}'  came  over,  had  special  districts  assign- 
ed to  tliem,  with  special  liberties  and  privileges.  They  were  planted  all  over 
England — in  London,  in  Kent,  in  Somerset,  in  Norfolk,  in  Nottinghamshire, 
in  Yorkshire,  in  Lancasliire,  and  as  far  north  as  Kendal  in  Westmoreland. 

Seventy  Walloon  fiimilies  from  Brabant  were  settled  in  the  ward  of  Candle- 
wick,  London,  and  two  meeting-places  were  assigned  to  them — one  in  Lau- 
rence Pountney  church-yard,  the  other  in  the  church-yard  of  St.  IMarj-,  Som- 
erset. Stow  says  they  were  weavers  of  drapery,  tapery,  and  napery — in  other 
words,  of  woolen  and  linen  stuffs.  Giulds  were  establislied  in  connection 
with  the  new  branches  of  trade  ;  and,  M'ith  a  Aiew  to  their  encouragement,  the 
king  himself  joined  them  as  a  guild  brother. 

The  name  of  the  leader  of  one  of  the  earliest  bands  of  Flemish  emigrants 
has  lieen  handed  down  to  us — that  of  John  Kempe,  a  Flemish  woolen-weaver, 
to  whom  royal  letters  of  protection  were  granted  in  1330,  to  exercise  his  art, 
and  "to  teach  it  to  such  of  our  people  as  shall  be  inclined  to  learn  it."  The 
like  protection  was  extended  to  his  men,  sen-ants,  and  apprentices,  and  to  all 
his  goods  and  chattels  whatsoever.  Kempe  eventually  settled  at  Kendal,  and 
there  began  the  manufacture  of  cloths,  which  continues  to  this  day,  the  de- 
scendants of  Kemjje  being  still  ti'aceable  in  Kendal  and  the  neighborhood.  § 

Six  years  after  Kempe  came  over,  Edward  granted  similar  jirotection  to 

tAvo  Brabant  weavers,  who  settled  at  York,  and  carrietl  on  their  trade  tiiere. 

They  are  described  in  the  royal  letter  as  "  Willielmus  de  Brabant  et  Han- 

cheinus  de  Brabant,  textores,"  after  the  latter  of  Mhom  the  linnk  or  skein  of 

worsted  is  said  to  have  been  called. 

'  TlvMKR  -  Fofdera,  ii.,  747.  t  Dk  Witt— T/ic  True  Interest  of  Holland. 

I  MuiiEi.F.T— //f.vjor?/  of  France,  book  vi.,  ch.  i. 

{  Ni(jiioi-BON— ./Ijwia^s  of  Kendal,  '.'d  edition,  p.  235. 


THE  BROTHERS  BLANKET.  357 

The  woolen-cloth  trade  seems  early  to  hare  become  established  at  Notting- 
ham, and  gave  rise  in  the  town  and  county  to  many  considerable  families, 
some  of  whose  names  indicate  a  Flemish  origin.  Thus  there  were  the  Biigges 
and  AVilloughbys,  joint  ancestors  of  the  house  of  Willoughby  (Lord  Middle- 
ton),  at  WoUaton,  near  Nottingham ;  the  Mappurleys,  Thurlands,  Amyases, 
Phimtres,  Tamesleys,  Binghams,  and  Hunts.* 

Other  Flemings  planted  themselves  in  the  west  of  England,  and  in  course 
of  time  their  fidling-mills  were  busily  at  work  along  the  streams  of  Wiltshire, 
Somerset,  and  South  Gloucester,  where  the  manufacture  of  cloth  still  continues 
to  flourish. t  Bath  and  Bristol  also  shared  in  the  prosperity  which  followed 
the  introduction  of  this  new  branch  of  trade.  At  the  latter  place,  three 
brothers  of  the  name  of  Blanket,  taking  advantage  of  the  immigration  of  the 
foreign  artisans,  set  up  looms  in  their  houses  for  the  wea-sing  of  cloth.  The 
magistrates,  on  hearing  of  their  proceedings,  tried  to  stop  them  by  hea^y 
lines,  on  which  the  brothers  Blanket  appealed  to  the  king.  Edward  imme- 
diately WTOte  to  the  corporation  that,  "considering  the  manufactures  may 
turn  out  to  the  great  advantage  of  us  and  all  the  people  of  our  kingdom, 
you  are  to  permit  the  machines  to  be  erected  in  their  [the  Flemings']  houses, 
without  making  on  that  account  any  reproach,  hiuderance,  or  midue  exac- 
tion.'' This  royal  order  had  the  effect  of  checking  the  oppressive  interference. 
of  the  corporation.  The  brothers  Blanket  were  accordingly  enabled  to  pro- 
ceed with  their  operations,  and  blankets^  soon  became  an  important  branch 
of  Bristol  manufacture. 

Before  the  time  of  Edward  III.  the  common  people  had  been  accustomed 
to  wear  coarse  clothes  made  of  hemp,  but  on  the  introduction  of  blankets 
they  came  into  general  nse  for  purposes  of  clothing.  The  blankets  were  also 
used  by  travelers,  soldiers,  and  sportsmen,  instead  of  the  loose  mantle  and 
jRickered  cloak  and  cape,  which,  with  the  long  loose  robe  or  gown,  had  been 
found  very  inconvenient.  When  bedsteads  were  introduced  in  the  same  reign 
— before  which  time  people  slept  on  rushes,  straw,  or  fern,  laid  on  the  floor — 
blankets  were  introduced  as  part  of  the  necessary  bed-furnitm-e ;  and  repeat- 
ed mention  of  them  is  made  in  the  "Expenses  of  the  Great  Wardrobe  of  Ed- 
ward III.,  1 347-0.  "§  A  considerable  demand  being  thus  created  for  the  new 
article,  the  brothers  Blanket  soon  became  rich  men,  and  rose  to  honor  and 
dignity.  Thomas,  the  youngest  brother,  to  -w  liom  the  merit  of  inti'oducing 
the  manufacture  Avas  chiefly  due,  served  as  high  bailiff  of  Bristol  in  1349,  and 

'  Mr.  Felkin,  of  Nottingham,  informs  us  that  the  woolen-cloth  manufacture  flour- 
ished in  the  town  beforelhe  time  of  King  John.  That  monarch  staid  in  the  place 
several  times,  in  a  building  called  King  John's  Palace,  lately  taken  down.  He  grant- 
ed a  charter  to  Nottingham,  in  which  persons  within  ten  miles  of  it  were  forbidden 
to  work  woolen  cloth  except  it  was  dyed  in  the  borough. 

t  At  a  later  date  (idth  Henry  Vn.)'Anthony  Bonvis,  an  Italian,  introduced  the  art 
of  spinning  with  the  distaff  in  Devonshire,  and  began  the  making  of  Devonshire  ker- 
seys and  eoxal  cloths.  Befvtre  his  time  only  friezes  and  plain  coarse  cloths  were 
made  in  that  county. 

t  It  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  the  brothers  Blanket  gave  its  distinctive  name 
to  the  now  familiar  woolen  bed-sheet.  But,  as  the  article  was  well-known  abroad  by 
the  same  name  {Uanchet—ivom  the  absence  of  color),  it  is  more  likely  that  the  blnnk- 
et  gave  its  name  to  the  brothers,  than  that  the  article  was  named  after  them.  It  was 
quite  usual  in  those  days  for  men  to  take  the  name  of  the  article  they  mannfactared 
or  the  trade  they  lived  by.  Webb  cloth  and  CliitterbiirL-.s  were,  however,  so  called  after 
the  persons  who  first  manufactured  them  in  the  v.est  of  Euglaud. 

i  Archceologia,  vol.  xxxi. 


358  EARL  Y  FOREIGN  ARTISANS. 

the  two  other  brothers  successively  represented  the  city  in  Parliament — Ed- 
ward in  1362,  and  Edmund  in  IKlil). 

The  cloth-manufactures  of  Kent,  also,  rose  into  importance  by  reason  of 
the  skill  and  enterprise  of  the  Flemings.  They  planted  their  fuUing-mills 
along  the  rivers  Cray  and  Dart,*  the  weavers  settling  principally  at  Cran- 
brook,  Goudhurst,  and  the  neighboring  villages.  ]\Iany  of  the  small  free- 
holders of  the  Weald  sent  their  sons  to  learn  the  trade,  and  they  afterAvard 
set  up  as  manufacturers  on  their  own  account.  At  county  meetings  the 
"Gray-coats  of  Kent"  carried  all  before  them — gray  cloth  being  the  jirevail- 
ing  color  of  the  Kentish  article,  as  that  of  Kendal  was  green.  The  cloth- 
trade  has,  however,  long  since  departed  from  Cranbrook,  then  the  centre  of 
the  Kentish  trade — its  manufiictures,  like  so  many  others,  having  migrated 
northward  ;  and  the  onh-  indications  remaining  of  the  extinct  branch  of  in- 
dustry are  the  ancient  factories,  cA-idently  of  Elemish  origin,  which  are  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  principal  street  of  the  town. 

Norwich  and  the  neighboring  towns  continued  to  derive  increasing  advan- 
tages from  the  influx  of  foreign  artisans.  To  the  trade  of  spinning  worsted, 
that  of  manufacturing  it  into  cloth  was  added  in  1330,  after  which  date  the 
latter  branch  became  the  leading  manufacture  of  the  cit}'.  Norwich  was  ap- 
pointed by  royal  edict  one  of  the  ten  staple  towns  for  the  sale  of  wool,  wool- 
fells,  and  cloths,  to  which  merchants  resorted  from  all  parts  for  ])uri)Oses  of 
business.  Enjoying  such  privileges,  KonAich  became  a  centre  of  Imsy  in- 
dustry, and  the  adjoining  towns  of  Worstead  and  WAinondham  sliared  in  its 
prosperity,  "every  one,"  says  an  ancient  chronicler,  "having  combers,  card- 
ers, spinsters,  fullers,  dyers,  pressers,  jjackers,  and  fleece-sorters." 

While  the  Flemish  artisans  prospered,  the  English  yeomen  grew  rich  with 
them.  "  Happy  tho  yeoman's  house,"  says  Fuller,  "into  which  one  of  these 
Dutchmen  did  enter,  bringing  industry  and  wealth  along  Mith  him.  Such 
who  came  in  strangers  within  the  doors  soon  after  went  out  bridegrooms  and 
returned  sons-in-law.  Yea,  those  yeomen  in  Mhose  houses  they  harbored 
soon  prisceeded  gentlemen,  gaining  great  estates  to  themselves,  arms  and 
worship  to  their  families,  "t 

Edward  continued  indefatigaljle  in  his  efforts  to  promote  the  establishment 
and  extension  of  tlie  new  branches  of  industry.  Some  of  the  measures  which 
he  adopted  with  this  object,  viewed  l)v  the  light  of  the  present  day,  may  seem 
to  display  more  zeal  than  wisdom.  Thus  he  ordered  that  none  but  English- 
made  cloth  should  be  worn  throughout  England,  exce])t  liy  himself  and  cer- 
tain privileged  jiersons  of  the  higher  classes.  He  not  only  fixed  by  edict  the 
prices  of  cloth,  but  prescribed  the  kind  to  lie  worn  by  tradesmen,  mechanics, 
and  rustics  respectively,  as  well  as  the  quality  of  the  woolen  shrouds  they 
were  to  be  buried  in ! 

To  foster  the  home  trade,  Ed\\'ard  gave  free  license  to  all  persons  whatso- 
ever to  make  English  cloth,  while  at  the  same  time  he  rigidly  excluded  that 
of  foreign  manufacture.  He  also  endeavored  to  i)rohiI)it  the  exjiort  of  English 
wool ;  but  it  was  found  diflScult  to  enforce  this  measure,  as  it  inflicted  even 

•  Most  of  the  paper-mills  now  situated  on  these  streams  were  originally  fulling- 
mills,  as  is  sliown  by  ttie  title-deeds  of  the  properties  still  extaut. 
t  FuLLEB — Church  Ilistorij. 


WOOL-SMUGGLING.  359 


more  injury  on  the  English  wool-grower  than  it  did  on  the  foreign  manufac- 
turer. The  annual  production  ^f  English  wool  was  so  large  that  it  was  im- 
jiossiljle  for  the  Flemish-immigrants,  helped  though  they  were  by  their  En- 
glish jom-neymen  and  apprentices,  to  work  it  up  into  cloth.  The  English 
market  accordingly  became  glutted  with  wool,  at  the  same  time  that  the  Flem- 
ish and  French  weavers  continued  to  fiimish  for  want  of  raw  material  from 
England.  Nature  set  up  her  usual  remedy  under  such  circumstances,  and  es- 
tablished the  Smuggler.  All  round  the  coast  the  law  was  set  at  defiance,  and 
wool  was  surreptitiously  sent  abroad  through  every  port.*  As  it  was  found 
impossible  to  maintain  restrictions  so  rigid  and  so  injurious,  they  were  speed- 
ily relaxed.  The  export  of  wool  was  again  legalized  on  payment  of  a  duty 
of  40s.  the  pack,  or  equal  to  about  £0  of  our  present  money,  and  the  extent 
of  the  trade  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  impost  thus  levied  pro- 
duced about  £2.50,000  a  year. 

At  the  same  time,  Flemish  cloth  was  again  admitted  on  paj-ment  of  duty, 
for  it  was  found  that  the  production  of  English  cloth  was  as  yet  insufficient 
for  the  home  consumption.  This  latter  measure  also  had  the  effect  of  stimu- 
lating the  English  manufacturers  to  increased  industry  and  enterprise,  and 
the  result  was  that,  before  long,  cloth  of  English  make  was  exported  in  large 
quantities,  not  only  to  France,  Deumark,+  and  GeiTnany,  but  to  Flanders  it- 

*  The  restrictions  on  the  exportation  of  English  wool  long  continued  in  force,  and 
"owling,"  or  wool-smuggling,  became  the  business  of  a  large  part  of  the  coast  popu- 
lation, especially  along  the  snores  of  Sussex  and  Kent.    There  was  always,  however, 
a  strong  patriotic  party  at  home,  favorable  to  the  encouragement  of  English  manufac- 
tures by  artificial  methods,  such  as  the  prohibition  of  the  export  of  English  wool. 
The  Lansdowne  MSS.  (T9(j  f.  2,  British  Mnsenm)  contain  a  poem  of  the  time  of  Henry 
IV.,  supposed  to  have  been  the  composition  of  a  monk,  containing  many  curious  ref- 
erences to  this  early  branch  of  English  industry.    The  writer  says : 
"  Ther  ys  noother  pope,  emperowre,  nor  kyng, 
Bysschop,  cardynal,  or  any  mau  levyng, 
Of  what  condicion,  or  what  maner  degree, 
Duryno;  theyre  levyng  thei  must  have  thynges  iij — 
Mete,  drynk,  and  cloth,  to  every  manne's  siistynaunce — 
They  leiig  alle  iij,  without  varyaunce." 
The  writer  goes  on  to  say  that  in  respect  of  the  iij,  England  "  of  all  the  relmesin 
the  worlde  berythe  the  lanterne;"  and  he  proceeds  to  show  that  not  only  English 
wool,  but  English  cloths,  were  in  demand  abroad  : 

"  Ffor  the  marchauntis  comme  owre  wollys  for  to  bye. 
Or  elles  the  cloth  that  is  made  thereoff  s'ykyrlj', 
Oute  of  dyverse  londes  fer  beyond  the  see, 
To  have  thyse  merchaundyss  into  theyr  coutre." 
Toward  the  conclusion  of  the  poem,  the  writer  urges  the  withholding  of  wool  from 
the  foreigners  as  one  of  the  most  effectual  means  of  promoting  England's  prosperity: 
"  And  ffulle  fayne  that  they  may  be  subject  to  this  loud, 
Yf  we  kepe  the  woollys  strnytly  owt  of  their  bond, 
For  by  the  eudraperyiig  thereoff  they  have  the3're  sustynaunce, 
And  thus  owre  enmys  be  sujiportyd  t<i  our  gret  hynderaunce. 
And  therefor,  for  the  love  of  God  in  trinyte, 
Conceyve  well  these  mators,  and  scherysshe  the  comjTialte, 
That  theyre  pore  levjTig,  synfulle  and  adversyte. 
May  be  attratyd  into  welth,  rychess,  and  prosperytu." 

t  In  the  year  1.301  we  find  Edward  III.  addressing  Magnus,  king  of  Norway,  on  be- 
half of  some  English  merchants  of  Norwich,  Yarmouth,  St.  Edmund's  Bury,  and  Col- 
chester, who  had  sent  out  a  ship  bound  for  Schonen,  laden  with  woolen  cloths  and 
other  merchandise  to  the  value  of  2ii(iO  merks.  The  ship  was  lying  in  a  harbor  in 
Norway  when  a  storm  came  on,  and  the  crew  carried  the  goods  on  shore  for  safety, 
upon  which  they  were  seized  by  the  king's  officers.  Hence  Edward's  demand  for  iifi- 
mediate  restituti.m  of  the  goods,  with  damages  to  the  owners,  which  was  promptly 
complied  with. 


'360  EARLY  FOREIGN  ARTISANS. 

self.  Indeed,  the  prosperity  of  the  woolen-trade  was  such  that  the  wealth  it 
brought  to  the  nation  is  said  to  have  materially  contributed  to  the  military- 
successes  of  Edward,  and  helped  him  to  win  the  battles  of  Crecy  and  Poitiers, 
in  like  manner  as  the  spinning-jenny  of  Ark\\Tight  and  the  steam-engine  of 
Watt  enabled  us  in  later  times  successfully  to  contend  witli  the  gigantic  mili- 
tary' power  of  the  first  Napoleon. 

Various  other  brandies  of  industiy  were  about  the  same  time  planted  in 
England  by  the  Flemisli  and  other  foreign  artisans.  In  13G8  Edward  III 
induced  three  Dutch  clock-makers  to  settle  in  London  to  practice  their  craft  : 
John  and  William  Uninam,  and  John  Latuyt,  of  I>elft.  The  kings  who  suc- 
ceeded Edward  jjursued  the  same  policy,  and  from  time  to  time  induced  fresh 
bodies  of  foreign  artisans  to  settle  in  England,  and  begin  new  branches  of 
skilled  industry.  Thus  Richard  II.  invited  a  colony  of  Flemisli  linen-weavers 
to  London  in  1387,  and  they  took  up  their  abodes  for  the  most  part  in  Can- 
non Street,  where  they  long  prospered.*  He  also  induced  a  band  of  silk- 
weavers  from  Lucca  to  settle  in  the  city,  and  teach  his  subjects  their  trade. 
That  the  art  must  have  made  progress  is  ob\'ious  from  the  fiict  that  in  14(i3 
the  native  silk-weavers  turned  round  upon  the  foreigners  and  ]n-otested  against 
their  competition.  There  were  then  said  to  be  about  a  thousand  women,  in 
ntmneries  and  private  dwellings,  practicing  the  art  of  silk-throwing,  and,  in  a 
petition  presented  by  these  silk-women  to  Parliament,  they  complain  of  the 
Lombards  and  other  Italians,  who,  they  say,  "import  such  quantities  of 
threads,  ribbands,  and  other  silken  articles,  that  they  are  greatly  impoverished 
thereby." 

The  art  of  metallurgy  being  a  branch  of  industry  systematically  studied 
and  practiced  in  Germany,  i-e]ieated  invitations,  accompanied  by  liberal  prom- 
ises of  reward,  were  held  out  to  German  miners  to  settle  in  England.  Thus 
Edward  III.  in\-ited  a  body  of  them  to  instruct  his  subjects  in  copper-mining, 
under  a  grant  made  to  certain  adventurers  to  work  the  mines  of  Shieldam  in 
Northumberland,  Alstone  Moor  in  Cumberland,  and  Richmond  in  Yorkshire. 
Henry  VI.  pursued  the  same  policy,  and  in  1  i;30  we  find  liim  inviting  three 
famous  German  miners,  named  Michael  Gosselyn,  George  Harbryke,  and 
ilathew  La^\eston,  Avitli  thirt}'  skilled  workmen  of  Bohemia  and  Hungary,  to 
superintend  and  work  the  royal  tin-mines  in  Cornwall ;  and  a  few  years  later 
the  same  monarch  iimted  John  de  Schieldame,  a  gentleman  of  Zenland,  with 
sixty  workmen,  to  come  over  and  instnict  his  subjects  in  the  mamifactiue  of 
salt.  Edward  IV.  also  sought  the  aid  of  Flemish  artisans  for  less  peaceful 
pui-poses,  for  we  find  him  in  1471  landing  a  corps  of  three  hundred  Flemish 
armorers  at  Ravenspurg,  in  Yorkshire,  for  the  pui-pose  of  manufacturing  hand- 
guns for  his  amiy. 

Again,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  we  find  a  ])arty  of  German  miners,  con- 
sisting of  laborers,  smiths,  caqienters,  assayers,  drainers,  and  colliers,  setting 
out  from  Frankfort  and  aiTiving  at  Antwerp,  where  they  waited  the  arrival 
of  a  consignment  of  kerseys,  the  sale  of  which  was  to  provide  for  their  convey- 

*  In  a  pamphlet  published  in  IfiOO,  entitled  England's  Advocate,  Europe's  Monitnr, 
being  au  enivcaty  in  behalf  (if  the  Euirlis^h  silk-weavers  and  i^ilk-thnimstors,  the 
writer,  speakiuf;  of  the  decay  of  the  trade,  observes:  "Sure  I  am,  the  case  is  extremely 
altered  with  the  weavers,  shice  Cannon  Street,  both  sides  the  way,  was  uothin;;  but 
weaver's  workshops." — P.  30. 


GERMAN  ARTISANS.  361 

ance  to  England.*  Elizabeth  also  invited  skilled  miners  from  Germany  to 
settle  in  England,  for  the  pm-pose  of  teaching  the  people  the  best  methods  of 
working.  To  two  of  these,  named  Hochstetter  and  Tluirland,  of  Augsburg, 
the  queen  granted  a  patent  to  search  for  gold,  silver,  quicksilver,  and  co]5per, 
in  eight  counties,  with  power  to  convert  the  proceeds  to  their  own  use.  Hoch- 
stetter first  established  copper-works  at  Keswick,  iu  Cumberland,  which  were 
worked  to  great  advantage.  Their  success  was  indeed  such,  that  it  was  said 
of  Queen  Elizabeth  that  she  left  moi'e  brass  than  she  had  found  iron  ordnance 
in  England.  But  when  the  German  miners  died  out,  the  works  fell  into  de- 
caj',  and  the  mines  ceased  to  be  worked.  Fuller,  the  Church  historian,  writ- 
ing in  1G84,  after  they  had  been  "  laid  in,"  surmised  that  "  probably  the  bury- 
ing of  so  much  steel  in  the  bowels  of  men  during  the  late  civil  wai's  hath  hin- 
dered the  further  digging  of  copper  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth."  The 
same  Hochstetter  aftenvard  proceeded  to  open  out  the  silver-mines  of  Cardi- 
ganshire, in  the  to^vnship  of  Skibery  Coed,  and  worked  them  to  considerable 
profit.  Letters-patent  were  also  granted  to  Cornelius  de  Vos,  a  Dutchman, 
for  working  alum-mines  ;  and  to  William  Humphreys  and  Christopher  Schutz, 
a  German  from  Annaburg,  in  Saxony,  to  dig  and  work  all  mines  besides  those 
specified  in  the  other  patents.  The  companies  formed  under  these  grants  are 
said  to  have  turned  out  most  advantageously  both  for  the  crown  and  the  pat- 
entees, t 

The  first  saw-mills,  wire-mills,  and  paper-mills  in  England  were,  in  like 
manner,  set  on  foot  by  Dutch  and  Germans,  then  highly  skilled  in  mechanical 
engineering,  while  tlie  Flemings  were  more  devoted  to  the  various  branches 
of  the  textile  manufacture.  Thus,  in  loG5,  the  Christopher  Schutz  above 
mentioned  started  the  first  \vire-drawing  mill  in  England.  About  the  same 
time,  Joseph  Laban,  a  Dutchman,  erected  wire-works  near  Tintern  Abbey, 
and  the  descendants  of  the  family  are  still  traceable  in  the  neighborhood. 
Godfrey  Box,  of  Liege,  began  the  same  business  at  Esher,  in  Surrey,  where 
it  was  afterward  continued  by  two  Germans,  Mommer  and  Demetrius.  The 
art  of  needle-making  was  introduced  by  another  German  named  Elias  Crowse. 
Stow  says  that  before  his  time  a  Spanish  negro  made  needles  in  Cheapside, 
but  held  his  art  a  secret.  The  Germans  were  more  ojjcn,  and  taught  other 
workmen  the  trade,  thereby  establishing  a  considerable  branch  of  industn.'. 
"For,"  says  the  quaint  Fullei-,  "the  needle  is  woman's  pencil,  and  embroi- 
dery is  the  master]uece  tiiereof.  This  industrious  instrument — needle,  quasi 
ne  idle,  as  some  will  lia^ve  it — maintaineth  many  millions  ;  yea,  he  who  desir- 
eth  a  blessing  on  the  ]ilough  and  the  needle  comjirehends  most  emploi,Tnents, 
at  home  and  abroad,  by  land  and  by  sea." 

Paper-making  was  another  art  introduced,  like  printing,  from  the  Low 
Countries.     Caxton  brought  over  from  Haarlem,  about  1468,  a  Dutch  printer 

*  Cahndar  of  State  Papers,  Foreign  Series,  154T-1553.  It  is  not  quite  clear  from  the 
Stare  Paper  records  that  this  minius:  party  found  kickiiiir  their  heels  ou  the  Antwerp 
(luays  ever  reached  their  Intended  destiuatiou. 

t  The  art  of  blasting  in  mines  is  supposed  to  have  been  tirst  practiced  iu  England  by 
Prince  Rupert,  another  German,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  methods  practiced 
abroad.  The  prince  for  some  years  directed  the  Society  of  Alines  Royal.  Most  of  the 
miniuir  terms  still  in  use  amonEr  miners  indicate  their  German  origin.  Hence  smelt, 
from  sdimelzeit,  to  melt;  slaff,  from  xchktfien  or  cinder:  sump  (the  cavity  below  the 
shafr),  from  sumpf,  a  bog  or  pit:  spern,  a  point  or  buttress;  and  so  on  wiili  other 
terms  familiar  in  mining'operatious. 


EARLY  FOREIGN  ARTISANS. 


named  Frederick  Corsellis,*  who  made  his  first  essay  at  Oxford,  and  after- 
ward set  iij)  presses  at  Westminster,  St.  Alban's,  and  Worcester.  The  first 
books  printed  by  Caxton  himself  were  printed  on  foreign-made  paper ;  but  in 
1507  one  William  Tate  erected  a  mill  at  Hertford,  where  the  whitey-brown 
paper  was  made  on  which  W}-nk}Ti  de  Worde  printed  his  edition  of  Barthol- 
omew's De  Proprietathis  Reritm,  the  first  book  printed  in  England  on  En- 
glish-made paper.  Tate's  mill,  however,  does  not  seem  to  have  prospered, 
and  the  manufacture  of  paper  was  discontinued.  Another  was  then  started 
In-  one  Eemigius,  a  German,  who  was  inrited  into  England  for  the  purpose  ; 
and  a  third  venture  was  made  by  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  but  all  alike  failed  ; 
and  it  was  not  until  John  S]jilman,  the  German  jeweler  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
erected  his  large  paper-mill  at  Dartford.  in  1598,  that  this  branch  of  manufac- 
ture may  be  said  to  have  become  established  in  England.  The  queen  grant- 
ed him  an  exclusive  patent  to  "buy  Iranen  ragges  and  make  paper"  thereof, 
and,  judging  from  the  number  of  men  emjjloyed  l)y  Siiilman,  he  must  \va\q 
carried  on  a  large  trade,  t  It  may  be  added  that  the  manufacture  of  pajier 
still  continues  a  thriving  branch  of  industry  at  Dartford  and  the  neighborliood. 

The  manufacture  of  felt  hats  was  introduced  by  Spaniards  and  Dutchmen 
in  1524,  before  which  time  the  ordinary  covering  for  the  head  was  knitted 
caps,  cloth  hoods,  and  "  thromed  hats,"  the  common  people  for  the  most  part 
going  bare-headed  as  well  as  bare-legged.  An  old  writer  quaintly  obseiTes, 
"  S])aniards  and  Dutchmen  instructed  us  how  to  make  Spanisli  felts,  and  the 
French  taught  us  not  only  how  to  perfect  the  mystery  of  making  hats,  but  also 
bow  to  take  tliem  off;"  and  he  adds,  "  'Twas  in  Elizabeth's  reign  the  Dutch 
taught  us  to  cloathe  ourselves,  as  the  Fi-ench  did,  in  another  (]ueen's  reign, 
how  to  uncloathe  ourselves. "% 

Glove-making  was,  in  like  manner,  taught  us  by  foreigners,  the  first  emi- 
nent glover  being  Andreas  de  Loos,  who  held  a  license  from  Queen  Eliza- 
Ijeth  for  making  200,000  i)elts  yearly,  paying  her  majesty  20.s\  the  thousand. 

The  glass-manufacture  was  brought  into  England  by  Venetians.  Jacob 
Venalini  was  the  first  who  started  a  glass-work,  in  1 564,  in  Crutched  Friars' 
Hall,  but  his  operations  were  shortly  put  a  stop  toby  a  fire  occasioned  by  the 
intense  heat  of  his  furnaces,  and  the  building  was  burnt  down.  Queen  Eliz- 
abeth also  licensed  two  Flemings,  Anthony  Been  and  John  Care,  to  erect 
furnaces  for  making  window-glass,  at  Greenwich,  in  15(!7;  and  two  of  their 
fellow-countrymen,  Peter  Briet  and  Peter  Appell,  continued  the  manufacture. 

*  In  The  Danger  of  the  Church  ami  Kingilnm  from  Forennuvtt  considered  (Loiulon, 
1721),  it  is  stated:  "From  Holland  the  art  of  printiiii:  was  brought  into  Enghnid  by 
Caxton  and  Turner  about  the  year  1471,  whom  King  Ilcnry  VI.  sent  thither  to  learn 
that  mystery.     Those  two  follows,  not  being  able  to  gain  tlieir  ends  there,  cunningly 
wheedled  into  England  one  Frederick  Corsellis,  a  Dutch  printer  at  Haarlem.     This 
mercenary  foreigner,  having  tnade  his  first  essay  at  Oxford,  set  up  printing-houses  at 
Westminster,  St.  Alban's,  and  Worcester." 
t  Thomas  Churchyard,  a  poet  of  the  sixteenth  ceutnr}',  thus  speaks  of  him  : 
"Then,  he  that  made  for  us  a  pajjer-mill, 
Is  worthy  well  of  love  and  worhles  good  will, 
And  though  his  name  be  SpiU-wvAw  by  degree, 
Yet  Ilclp-mmx  now,  he  shall  be  calde  by  me. 
Six  hundred  men  are  set  at  work  by  him. 
That  else  might  starve,  or  seek  abroad  their  bread  ; 
Who  nowe  live  well,  and  go  full  braw  and  trim, 
And  who  may  boast  they  are  with  paper  fed." 
t  The  Danger  of  the  Church  and  Kingdom  from  Foreigners  conMered  (London,  1721). 


GLASS  MAXUFACTURE.  363 

At  that  time  glass  was  regarded  as  so  i)recious,  that  diu-ing  the  Duke  of 
Northumberland's  absence  from  Alnwick  Castle,  the  steward  was  accustomed 
to  take  out  the  glazed  windows,  and  stow  them  away  until  his  grace's  return, 
the  glass  being  apt  to  be  blown  out  by  the  high  winds.  Even  in  the  next 
centuiy,  or  as  late  as  H!G1,  glass  had  not  been  generally  introduced ;  the  roy- 
al palaces  in  Scotland  being  only  glazed  in  their  tipper  windows,  the  lower 
ones  being  pro^■ided  with  wooden  shutters. 

Another  Italian,  named  James  Verselyn,  established  a  second  glass-house 
at  Greenwich,  for  manuHu'turing  the  better  kinds  of  glass ;  and  Eveh-n, 
writing  of  this  "Italian  glass-house"  more  than  a  centiuy  later,  says  that 
"glass  was  then  blown  in  England  of  finer  metal  than  that  of  IMurano  at 
Venice."  Another  glass-house  ^\"as  erected  at  Greenwich  in  the  reign  of 
James  I.  Some  refugee  Tlsnungs  established  a  work  at  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne,*  where  the  manufacture  still  flourishes ;  and  some  Venetians  earned 
on  the  manufoctxire,  helped  by  the  French  refugee  workmen,  at  Pinner's  Hall 
la  Austin  Friars,  London,  where  the  best  descriptions  of  glass  were  then 
made.  The  Flemings  excelled  in  glass-])ainting ;  one  of  them,  Eernard  van 
Linge,  established  in  London  in  1G14,  being  the  first  to  practice  the  art  in 
England.  This  artist  supplied  the  windows  for  Wadliam  College,  the  beau- 
tiful window  of  Lincoln's  Inn  Chapel,  and  several  subjects  for  Lincoln's  Col- 
lege C  hapel. 

It  will  thus  be  found  that  in  all  manufactures  requiring  special  skill,  our 
main  reliance  was  upon  foreigners  down  to  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury ;  and  the  finest  fabrics  of  all  kinds  were,  as  a  rule,  made  almost  exclu- 
sively by  foreign  workmen.  Even  in  masonry  and  carpentry,  when  work  of  a 
superior  kind  was  required,  as  well  as  in  drainage  and  engineering,  the  prac- 
tice was  to  send  abroad,  not  only  for  the  master-builder  or  engineer,  but  for 
workmen  and  the  principal  materials.  Thus,  when  Sir  Thomas  Gresham 
built  the  Koyal  Exchange  in  1 ")()(!,  he  brought  from  Flanders  the  requisite 
masons  and  caii^enters  to  execute  it,  under  the  direction  of  Henryke,  their 
master-builder.  The  foreigners  also  brought  \\\t\\  them  all  necessary  materi- 
als— the  wainscot,  the  glass,  the  slates,  the  iron,  and  even  much  of  the  stone 
for  the  building.  In  short,  as  Holinshed  relates,  Gresham  "bargained  for 
the  whole  mould  and  substance  of  his  workmanship  in  Flanders. "+  Only  the 
laborers  employed  upon  the  structure  were  provided  from  among  the  London 
workmen,  who  do  not  seem  to  have  been  in  great  repute  at  the  time,  for  Sir 
Stephen  Soame  says  of  the  house-painters  in  Elizabeth's  reign  that  "among 
the  nimiber  of  three  hundred  painters  now  in  London,  there  are  not  twelve 
sufficient  workmen  to  be  found  among  them,  and  one  of  these  (he  being  fifty 
years  old,  and  such  was  his  ])0^erty)  was  fain  for  his  relief  to  wear,  upon 
Lord-mayor's  day,  a  blue  gown  and  red  caj),  and  carry  a  torch !" 

Although  English  manufactures  were  in  gradual  coiu-se  of  establishment  in 

•  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  manufacture  of  window-c;lass  ui  England  should  have 
first  been  attempted  at  Newcastle-on-TjTje  as  early  as  the  vear  G70.  The  Abbot  Ben- 
edict then  brought  over  some  glass-blowers  from  Gaul,  probably  Italians,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  manufi\cturing  the  glass  required  for  the  churcii  and  monastery  of  Wearmouth 
Abbey ;  but  when  the  glass  had  been  made,  the  furnaces  were  extinguished,  and  re- 
mained so  for  more  than  800  years. 

t  HoLissHED,  ed.  1S07, !.,  395.    See  also  Bcegox— Li/f  of  Sir  T.  Gresham,  ii.,  117. 


364  EARLY  FOREKjy  ARTISANS. 

the  face  of  many  difficulties,*  arising  principally  from  the  non-industrial  hab- 
its of  the  people — for  skilled  industiy  is  a  matter  of  habit,  and  the  product,  it 
may  be,  of  centuries  of  education — the  English  markets  continued  to  be  sup- 
plied with  the  better  sorts  of  manufoctured  articles  principally  from  abroad. 
Our  iron  and  steel  wares  came  from  Germany,  France,  Flanders,  and  Spain  ; 
our  hats,  paper,  and  linen  (hollands),  from  Holland  ;  our  stone  drinking-pots 
from  Cologne  ;  our  glass  from  Italy  and  the  Low  Countries  ;  and  silks,  bars, 
ribbons,  gloves,  lace,  and  other  articles  of  wearing  apparel,  from  Flanders 
and  France.  The  writer  of  an  old  book,  entitled  A  Brief  Account  of  EmjUsh 
Poesy,  referring  to  the  large  trade  in  French,  Spanish,  Flemish,  Milan,  and 
\'enetian  articles  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  obseiwed,  "I  mervail  no  man 
taketh  heel  to  it  what  number  of  trifles  come  hither  from  beyond  the  seas 
that  we  might  clean  spare,  or  else  make  them  within  our  realm ;  for  the 
which  we  either  pay  inestimable  treasure  every  year,  or  else  exchange  sub- 
stantial wares  and  necessary  for  them,  for  the  which  we  might  receive  great 
treasm-e. " 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  natural  that  the  English  monarchs,  see~ 
ing  the  great  wealth  and  power,  as  well  as  profitable  employment  for  the  poor- 
er classes,  which  followed  the  establishment  of  leading  branches  of  industry 
among  the  population,  should  have  systematically  jjursued  the  policy  of  invit- 
ing foreign  artisans  from  all  countries  to  settle  in  England,  and  protected 
them  by  royal  patents,  thereby  enabling  them  to  pursue  their  several  callings 
without  interference  from  the  native  guilds.  This  course  seems  to  have  been 
adopted  at  different  times,  with  more  or  less  eifect,  from  the  reign  of  Edward 
I.  downward  ;t  and  as  late  as  the  reign  of  James  I. — the  industry  of  J-^ng- 
land  being  still  in  as  much  need  as  ever  of  foreign  help — we  find  that  mon- 
arch going  so  fiir  as  to  employ  agents  to  bring  from  Rochelle  "  three  prime 
workmen,"  for  the  purpose  of  instnicting  his  subjects  in  the  process  of  manu- 
facturing the  alum  used  in  dyeing ;  and  the  ' '  three  prime  workmen"  were 
smuggled  out  of  the  French  port  "?«  hogsheads.  "I 

These  efforts  made  by  successive  English  monarchs  to  establish  new  branch- 
es of  industry  Mere  not  always  successfid.  The  patents  which  they  granted 
for  the  puqjose  of  encouraging  them  frequently  pro\-ed  oppressive  monopohes, 

*  The  flax-mauufactare  was  eveutnally  established  at  Bridport ;  an  old  charter  cou- 
ferriug  upon  the  town  a  monopoly  iu  the  supply  of  naval  cordage.  To  be  "  stabbed 
with  a  Bridport  dagger"  passed  into  a  proverl),  signifying  the  use  of  Bridport  rope  at 
the  yard-arm  or  the  gallows.  Northampton  was  said  to  stand  chiefly  on  other  men's 
legs,  being  early  distinguished  for  its  make  of  boots  and  shoes.  StafTordshire  was 
celebrated  for  its  nails,  Sheffield  for  its  whistles,  Bristol  for  its  gray  soap,  Tauutou  for 
its  serges,  and  Ripon  for  its  spurs:  hence  the  proverb,  "As  true  steel  as  Ripou  row- 
els." 

t  Henry  VIII.  seems  to  have  been  a  great  patron  of  foreigners,  for  we  find  his  cntler 
to  have  been  one  JIariuus  Garet,  a  native  of  Normandy ;  his  goldsmith,  Henry  llolt- 
esweller,  a  native  of  Burg,  iu  Germany ;  his  tailor,  Stepen  Jc-^per,  a  native  of  Hai- 
nault;  at  the  same  time  that  the  "chief  surgeon  of  his  body"  was  one  John  Vcyreri,  de- 
scribed as  "  Nemausan  ex  regione  linguiB  Auxitana;."*  Iu  the  same  reign  we"  find  for- 
eign "  bore  brewers"  .settling  among  us  ;  one  of  these,  bearing  the  appropriate  name 
of  Adam  Barl,  a  native  of  Wesel,  obtaining  letters  of  denization  iu  1512.  The  king 
also,  like  several  of  his  predecessors,  induced  a  number  of  German  armorers,  princi- 
pally from  Nuremberg,  to  settle  iu  England  and  instruct  his  subjects  iu  the  practice 
of  their  art. 

t  Marldnrr}!  and  Manufactures  of  Great  Britain — Weale's  Quarterly  Papers  on  En- 
gineering, 117. 

*  See  Letters  of  Oenizatioa  in  Brewer's  Calendar  of  Stale  Pa/itre,  reg.  Heoty  VIII.,  1509-14. 


GUILDS  AND  TRADES  UNIONS.  365 

the  immediate  effect  of  which  was  to  compel  the  public  to  pay  excessive  prices 
for  the  articles  made  by  the  protected  foreigners,  and  still  the  manufactures 
often  refused  to  take  root  among  us.  The  growth  of  the  new  industries  were 
also  to  a  great  extent  hindered  by  the  proceedings  of  the  manufacturers  them- 
selves. Few  in  numljer,  they  were  prone  to  combine  for  the  puqjose  of  keep- 
ing up  the  prices  of  their  commodities  ;  ^^•hile  the  workmen,  following  their 
examjile,  combined  to  keep  up  the  rate  of  wages.  Man  seems  by  nature  to 
be  a  bigot  and  monopolist  in  matters  of  trade  ;  but  this  is  only  saying,  in 
other  words,  that  he  is  selfish  and  that  he  is  human.  No  sooner  was  any 
new  branch  of  industry  started,  than  its  members  set  up  guilds  and  corpora- 
tions for  the  purpose  of  confining  its  benefits  as  much  as  possible  to  them- 
selves. Those  who  were  within  the  pale  of  the  protected  craft  combined  to- 
gether rigorously  to  exclude  all  ^\ho  were  outside  it.  Hence  the  repetition 
by  the  cloth-^^■eavers  of  Nonvich,  at  a  very  early  period,  of  the  same  tyranny 
which  had  almost  ruined  the  trade  of  Ghent  and  Bruges.  The  Flemish 
weavers,  w)io  had  been  the  victims  of  monopoly  in  Brabant,  liad  scarcely  es- 
tablished themselves  in  Norfolk  ere  the  hard  lessons  which  their  fathers  had 
learned  were  forgotten,  and  the  trades  unipns  of  the  Low  Countries  were 
copied  almost  to  the  letter.  The  usual  methods  of  maintaining  prices  and 
wages  were  enforced — long  apprenticeships,  limitation  in  the  number  of  ap- 
jirentices,  and  rigorous  exclusion  of  all  "strangers."  And  when  the  native 
popidation  at  length  came  to  learn  the  secrets  of  the  trade,  the)-  too,  in  their 
turn,  sought  to  exclude  tiie  veiy  Flemings  who  had  taught  it  them.  The 
"  cursede  forrainers"  were  repeatedly  attacked  by  the  native  workmen,  and  in 
1309  some  of  them  even  fell  victims  to  the  popular  fmy.  On  this  King  Ed- 
ward, at  Avhose  invitation  they  had  been  induced  to  settle  in  the  country,  is- 
sued a  proclamation  declaring  the  Flemish  workmen  to  be  under  his  special 
protection,  and  the  native  violence  was  for  a  time  held  in  check. 

The  evils  arising  from  the  absurd  restrictions  of  the  Norwicli  guilds  were, 
however,  less  easy  of  correction  ;  l)ut  they  can'ied  with  them  their  ovn\  pun- 
ishment, and  in  course  of  time  they  wrought  their  own  cure.  They  drove 
away  many  workmen  who  could  not,  or  would  not  comply  -with  their  regula- 
tions, and  they  prevented  other  workmen  from  settling  in  the  place  and  car- 
rying on  their  trade.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  artisans  proceeded  to 
other  unprivileged  places,  mostly  in  the  north  of  England,  and  there  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  great  manufactin-ing  towns  of  Manchester,  Leeds,  and  Shef- 
field ;  while  the  trade  of  Nonvich  itself  languished,  and  many  of  its  houses 
stood  empty.  To  remedy  these  e^^ils,  which  the  cupidity  of  the  Norwich 
guilds  had  brought  upon  their  city,  the  Flemish  artisans  were  appealed  to, 
and  urged  by  promises  of  favor  and  protection  to  settle  again  in  the  jdace,  for 
it  was  clear  that  the  guildmen  could  not  yet  dispense  with  the  skill  and  indus- 
try of  the  strangers.  These  im-itations  had  their  effect ;  and  with  the  in- 
creased settlements  of  Flemings  (described  in  the  text),  the  prosperity  of  the 
place  was  again  restored. 

The  same  native  hostility  to  the  foreigners  displayed  itself  in  London  and 
other  towns,  and  occasionally  led  to  serious  public  commotions,  not^^'ithstand- 
ing  their  being  under  the  protection  of  the  crown.  The  vulgar  and  ignorant 
of  all  countries,  as  a  rule,  hate  foreigners.     Theii'  dress  is  strange,  and  their 


3GG  EARLY  FOREIGN  ARTISANS. 

language  stranger  ;  their  manners  and  customs  are  unusual,  and  their  hahits 
peculiar ;  and  tliey  are  almost  invariably  looked  u]  on  by  the  less  educated 
classes  with  prejudice  and  suspicion,  if  not  with  liosiiHty.  This  is  especially 
the  case  where — as  the  ignorant  poor  are  so  ve.idy  to  believe — the  bread  eaten 
by  the  foreigners  is  so  much  bread  taken  out  of  their  o^^  n  mouths.  This  na- 
tive aversion  to  the  Flemish  workmen,  originating  in  these  causes,  not  unfre- 
cjuently  displayed  itself  in  England,  and  was  taken  advantage  of  by  dema- 
gogues. Thus,  when  Wat  Tyler  burst  into  the  city  with  his  followers  in 
1381,  the  Flemings  were  among  the  first  to  suffer  from  their  fuiy.  Thirteen 
of  them  were  dragged  from  the  church  in  Austin  I'riars,  where  they  had 
taken  refuge ;  seventeen  from  another  church  ;  while  thirty-two  were  seized 
in  tlie  Vintry,  besides  others  in  Southwark.  They  were  carried  before  Wat 
Tyler,  who  is  said  to  have  tested  the  nationality  of  the  prisoners  by  their  jiro- 
nunciation  of  the  words  "bread  and  cheese."  If  it  sounded  any  thing  like 
"brod  and  cawse"  they  were  pronounced  Flemings,  and  executed  forthwith. 
Dining  the  same  revolt  the  Ilanseatic  merchants  were  in  great  peril  ;*  but, 
fortunately  for  them,  they  had  taken  the  precaution  to  surround  their  ware- 
house fortress  in  Dowgate  with  strong  walls,  and,  ha\-ing  barred  their  iron- 
clamped  doors,  they  effectually  resisted  the  assaults  of  the  rioters  until  tlie 
authorities  had  recovered  from  thek  panic,  and  proceeded  to  restore  civil 
order  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  law. 

At  a  later  period,  in  1493,  the  mob  were  more  successful  in  their  attack 
upon  the  Steelyard,  which  they  broke  into  and  comjiletely  gutted.  This  riot 
was  supposed  to  have  been  instigated  by  the  native  merchants,  who  were 
jealous  of  the  privileges  granted  to  the  strangers,  under  which  they  conduct- 
ed almost  the  entire  foreign  trade  of  the  country.  But  tlie  antipathy  of  the 
mob  to  the  foreigners  reached  its  height  about  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.,  when  a  formidable  riot  broke  out  (in  151 7),  which  was  long  aft- 
er known  as  "Evil  May-day."  Large  numbers  of  foreign  artisans  then 
crowded  the  suburbs,  where  they  made  and  sold  a  variety  of  articles,  to  the 
supposed  prejudice  of  the  London  workmen.  The  Flemings  abounded  in 
Southwark,  Westminster,  Tottenham,  and  Ft.  Catharine's,  all  outside  the  free- 
dom of  the  city.  Hall,  in  his  Life  of  Henry  VIIL^  says,  "There  were  such 
nuinbers  of  them  enijjloyed  as  artificers  that  the  English  could  get  no  work." 
It  was  also  alleged  that  "  they  export  so  much  wool,  tin,  and  lead,  that  En- 
glish adventurers  can  have  no  living;"  and  the  Dutch  were  especially  com- 
plained against  because  of  their  imjiortations  of  large  quantities  of  "iron, 
timber,  and  leatlier,  ready  manufactured,  and  nails,  locks,  baskets,  cupboards, 
stools,  tables,  chests,  girdles,  saddles,  and  painted  cloths."  Probably  the 
real  secret  of  the  outcry  %vas  that  the  foreign  artisans  were  more  industrious, 

*  The  ITanseatie  merchants,  or  "Steelyard  Company  of  Foreicrn  Merchants,"  occu- 
pied extensive  premises  in  Dowupard  (now  Dow^atc)  Ward,  in  Upper  Thames  Street. 
There  they  had  their  guildhall,  dwellings,  and  warehouses,  surrounded  by  a  strong 
wall,  with  a  wharf  on  the  Thames.  For  a  long  time  nearly  the  whole  foreign  trade 
of  the  country  was  conducted  by  these  merchants,  who  exported  English  wool  and 
imported  foreign  merchandise,  paying  toll  at  I5illini:sgatc  in  tine  cloth,  gloves,  pepper, 
and  vinegar.  The  exclusive  privileges  of  the  Sicilyard  merchants  at  length  became 
the  subject  of  such  general  complaint,  and  were  rcgMrded  as  so  prejudicial  to  the  de- 
velopment of  native  commerce,  that  they  were  withdra^\^l  in  ].'i''\  Their  exter.sivc 
premises  occupied  part  of  the  site  of  the  present  Cannon  Street  Railway  Station. 


EVIL  MAY-DAY,  1517.  367 

and  manufactured  better  and  cheaper  things  than  the  English  could  then  do. 
One  John  Lincoln,  a  broker,  was  loudest  of  all  in  his  complaints  against  the 
foreigners,  and  by  his  influence  a  popular  jjreacher  named  Bell  was  led  to  de- 
nounce them  from  the  pulpit ;  and  he  declaimed  witli  so  much  eloquence  on 
the  hardships  suffered  by  the  native-born  freemen  in  consequence  of  their 
competition,  that  the  city  was  soon  thrown  into  a  ferment. 

In  this  state  of  excitement,  the  ajiprentices,  a  rather  turbulent  class,  en- 
couraged each  other  to  insult  and  abuse  the  foreigners  \\  horn  they  met  in  the 
streets.  On  the  28th  of  Ajiril,  a  body  of  them  set  upon  and  Ijeat  the  Flem~ 
ings  in  so  shameful  a  manner  that  the  lord-mayor  found  it  necessary  to  inter- 
fere ;  and  he,  accordingly,  had  the  offenders  seized  liy  the  city  watch,  and 
lodged  in  the  compter.  The  indignation  of  the  popuhx-e  became  greater  than 
ever,  and  a  riot  was  api)rehended.  Cardinal  Wolsey  sent  for  the  lord-mayor 
and  aldemien,  and  told  them  that  he  would  hold  them  responsible  for  the 
tranquillity  of  the  city.  Prompt  measures  were  taken  to  provide  against  the 
apprehended  rising  of  the  mob,  and  on  May-day-eve  the  magistrates  resolved 
to  issue  orders  to  every  householder  in  the  city  to  keejj  themselves,  their  chil- 
di'en,  apprentices,  and  servants  strictly  within  doors  on  the  following  day; 
but  before  the  order  coidd  be  issued  the  riot  broke  out.  and  the  cry  was  raised 
of  " 'Prentices !  'prentices!  clubs!  clubs!"  Peveral  hundi-ed  watermen,  por- 
ters, and  idlers  joined  the  rioters,  who  forthwith  broke  open  the  compter  and 
released  the  prisoners.  In  the  mean  time,  the  foreigners,  apprehending  the 
outbreak,  had  for  the  most  part  taken  the  jirecaution  to  depart  fi'om  the  city 
to  Islington,  Hackney,  and  other  villages  outside  the  walls,  so  that  the  rioters 
could  only  expend  their  fury  upon  their  dwellings,  ^^liich  were  speedily  pil- 
laged and  destroyed. 

The  Earls  of  Shrewsbury  and  Surrey  then  entered  the  city  at  the  head  of  a 
strong  body  of  troops,  and  aided  the  lord-mayor  in  capturing  nearly  300  of 
the  rioters.  Lincoln  the  broker,  and  Bell  the  preacher,  ^vere  also  apprehend- 
ed. These,  with  ten  others,  were  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  death ;  but 
Lincoln  only  was  hanged,  and  the  others  were  rejjrieved  initil  the  king's  pleas- 
ure should  be  kno's\'Ti.  Henry  ordered  the  lord-mayor,  the  sheriffs  and  alder- 
men, -with  the  prisoners,  278  in  number,  to  appear  before  him  at  Westminster 
Hall.  The  former  wore  mourning  in  token  of  contrition  for  their  negligence ; 
the  latter  had  halters  round  their  necks.  Wolsey  addressed  the  magistrates 
in  the  king's  name,  and  severely  rebuked  them  for  not  having  taken  proper 
])recautions  to  insure  the  peace  of  the  city,  and  protect  the  lives  and  property 
of  the  strangers,  who  carried  on  their  industry  in  the  full  reliance  that  they 
would  be  protected  by  the  magistracy  as  well  as  by  the  law.  Then  address- 
ing the  prisoners,  Wolsey  asked  them  what  they  could  jjlead  in  exteimation 
oi  their  deep  offense,  and  whereupon  they  should  not  one  and  all  suffer  death. 
Their  sobs  and  cries  foi-  mercy  softened  the  king's  heart :  some  of  the  nobil- 
it}^  around  him  besought  the  pardon  of  the  unhajijiy  culprits,  which  was  grant- 
ed, and  the  prisoners  were  discharged. 

This  severe  lesson  had  its  effect  upon  the  um-uly  pojnilace,  and  the  foreign 
artisans  returned  to  their  homes,  the  city  being  compelled  to  make  good  the 
damage  which  had  been  done  to  them  by  the  destnictiou  of  their  dwellings 
and  furiiitm'e,  and  the  interruption  of  their  industiy. 


368  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Oil  tlie  whole,  the  authorities  acted  with  creditable  -vigor  on  the  occasion ; 
and  though  discontent  at  the  subsequent  extensive  immigration  of  foreign  ar- 
tisans frequently  displayed  itself,  there  was  never  such  another  wild  outbreak 
of  the  London  mob  as  that  which  happened  on  the  long-remembered  ' '  Evil 
Mav-dav. " 


II.  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  PROTESTANT  CHURCHES  IN 
ENGLAND. 

The  records  of  most  of  the  Huguenot  churches  have  been  lost.  The  con- 
gregations died  out,  and  left  no  traces,  except  in  contemporarj'  accounts  of 
them,  which  are  imperfect.  The  registers  of  some  of  the  more  imjjortant 
liave,  however,  been  preserved,  and  are  of  a  peculiarly  interesting  character. 

A  royal  commission  having  been  appointed,  some  twenty-five  years  since, 
to  collect  the  non-parochial  registers  of  baptisms,  marriages,  and  burials,  un- 
der the  powers  of  the  new  liegistration  Act,  a  considerable  number  of  the  rec- 
ords of  the  extinct  French  churches  Mere  brought  to  light,  collected,  and 
placed  in  the  custody  of  the  Registrar  General  at  Somerset  House,  where  they 
now  are.  The  greater  number  of  these  registers  originally  passed  through 
the  hands  of  Mr.  J.  Southernden  Burn,  secretary  to  the  commission,  who  in 
1840  published  the  results  of  a  careful  examination  of  them  in  his  Historij  of 
the  Foreif/n  Protestant  Refugees  settled  in  England. 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Burn's  almost  exhaustive  treatise,  the  author  has 
thought  it  desirable  to  have  the  registers  re-examined  for  the  pnqjoses  of  the 
jiresent  work ;  and  the  following  anah'sis,  the  residt  of  a  careful  search,  has 
been  kindly  made  for  him  by  Mr.  Frederick  Mai'tin,  author  of  The  States- 
man's Year-Boole. 

The  registers  of  French  Protestant  churches  presers-ed  at  Somerset  House 
are  as  foUow : 

French  Churches  in  London.  '^fn  Ee-iftere!^^ 

Threadneedle  Street,  City,  removed  to  Founders  Hall  Chapel 1599-1753 

St.  Martin    Ongar's,  Cannon   Street,  removed   to  Threadneedle 

Street 1G00-17G2 

French  Chapel,  Savoy,  Strand 168-1-1822 

Glasshouse  Street  Chapel 1688-1G99 

Hungerford  Chapel,  Hungerford  Market 1688-1727 

Le  Temple 1689-1782 

SwaUow  Street  Chapel 1690-1709 

Le  Quarre,  Little  Deane  Street 1690-1763 

Le  Tabernacle 1696-1710 

Leicester  Fields  Chapel 1699-1783 

French  Chapel  Royal,  St.  James's 1700-17.54 

Ryder's  Court  Chapel,  St.  Ann's,  Westminster 1700-1750 

La  Charenton,  Ne^vport  Market 1701-1704 

Lea  Grecs,  Crown  Street,  afterward  in  Little  Edward  Street 1703-1731 


FRENCH  CHURCHES  IN  LONDON.  369 


West  Street  Chapel,  h-oho 1706-1743 

Berwick  Street  Chapel 1720-1788 

Castle  Street  Chapel,  Leicester  Square 1725-1754 

Hoxton  Chapel 1748-1783 

Eglise  Xeuve,  Church  Street,  Spitalfields 1 753- 1 809 

Eglise  de  Swan  Fields,  do 1721-1735 

Eghse  de  St.  Jean,  St.  John  Street,  do 1687-1823 

Eghse  de  I'ArtiUerie,  Artillery  Street,  do 1691-1786 

Eglise  de  Wheeler  Street,  do 1703-1741 

Eglise  de  la  Patente,  do 1689-1785 

Eghse  de  Crespiu  Street,  do 1694-1716 

Perle  Street,  do 1700-1701 

Bell  Lane,  do 1711-1716 

Eglise  deMarche,  do 1719 

French  Churches  in  the  Countrij. 

Walloon  Church,  Canterbury 1581-1837 

Malt  House,  do 1709-1744 

Norwich  Walloon  and  French  Church 1599-1611 

Plymouth 1733-1807 

St.  Julien,  or  God's  House,  Southampton 1567-1799 

Stonehouse,  near  Plymouth 1692-1791 

Eglise  de  Thorpe-le-Soken,  Essex 1684-1726 

Thorney  Abbey 1654-1727 

It  will  be  obseiwed,  from  the  dates  of  the  entries  in  tlie  registers,  that  sev- 
eral of  them  are  exceedingly  imperfect.  Many  books  have  been  altogether 
lost.  Of  those  whicli  liave  been  presented,  the  following  present  the  princi- 
pal featiu-es  worthy  of  notice : 

French  Protestant  Church  of  Threadneedle  Street,  London. 
Established  about  1546. 

The  registers  of  this  church  are  in  thirteen  volumes,  in  a  good  state  o^ 
preseiwation.  The  first  volume,  foUo  size,  contains  entries  of  baptisms  and 
marriages  from  ].")99  to  1636.  Most  of  the  entries  are  veiy  short,  gi^^ng 
nothing  more  than  the  names  of  the  parties,  and  in  some  cases  the  places  of 
then-  origin.  The  notices  of  baptism  run:  "  Mardy,  29  Janvier,  1599,  Jean 
le  Quion,  fils  de  Jean  le  Quion  et  d'Ester  sa  femme,  fut  presente,  au  Ste  Bap- 
tesme  par  Erhart  Franco  Auglois  et  Editho  Ansolam,  Mario  Penart  femme 
de  Valentin  Majx-hant  et  Marie  Bigot  femme  d'Estienne  Thierry;"  while 
the  marriages  are  mostly  entered  as  follows:  "Le  dimanche  27  Janvier, 
1599  ;  Isidore  fils  de  feu  Jacques  Pinchon  natif  d'Armentiers  et  Bastienne 
du  Mont  veuve  de  Lazare  Martin  native  de  Valenciennes,  fui'ent  epouse  le 
diet  jour."  As  far  as  can  be  judged  from  the  earlier  entries,  most  of  the 
persons  whose  names  occur  were  natives  of  the  north  of  France  and  of  the 
Walloon  provinces.  The  annual  number  of  baptisms  entered  in  the  first  vol- 
ume averages  from  80  to  150  during  the  period  from  1599  to  1610,  and  from 
140  to  100  in  the  years  from  1611  to  1636. 

Aa 


370  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

The  second  volume  of  the  registers  of  Threadneedle  Street  Church  has  en- 
tries of  baptisms  from  1G36  to  1G91,  and  of  marriages  from  1636  to  16-ir>. 
The  latter  fill  not  more  than  eight  pages  ;  but  the  baptisms  are  exceedingly 
numerous,  including,  as  stated  in  the  volume — a  folio  more  than  two  inches 
thick — those  of  the  chapel  of  L'Hupital  at  Spitalfields.  From  the  commence- 
ment of  the  year  1670  till  the  end  of  the  ye^u-  167!),  the  number  of  baptisms 
entered  amounts  to  1123,  comprising  r)78  boys  and  5-15  girls.  The  notices 
are  very  meagre,  giving  nothing  but  the  names  of  the  parents  and  of  the  god- 
father and  godmother. 

The  third  volume  contains  only  entries  of  baptisms,  including,  as  before, 
those  of  L'Hopital,  commencing  in  16!)8  and  ending  in  1711.  The  baptisms 
during  this  period  number  7032,  comprising  3522  boys  and  3510  girls,  or  an 
average  of  540  per  annum.  In  most  cases  the  occupation  of  the  male  parent 
is  given,  and  in  nine  entries  out  often  it  is  set  down  as  "weaver,"  or,  as  fre- 
quently spelled,  "  wever."  The  word  "  ouvrier  en  soye"  occurs  uj)  to  the  year 
1 699,  after  which  the  English  term  is  substituted,  not  only  here,  but  in  refer- 
ence to  other  trades  mentioned,  such  as  "watchmaker,"  "  diamant-cutter," 
"haberdasher,"  "ivory-turner," and  "cloth-printer."  Toward  the  end  of 
the  book  scarcely  any  other  trade  occurs  but  that  of  "weaver." 

Tiie  fourth  volume,  a  folio  about  an  inch  and  a  half  thick,  contains  entries 
of  baptisms  from  the  beginning  of  1()91  till  the  end  of  1727.  All  the  entries 
are  very  short,  mentioning  merely  the  name  of  the  parents  and  of  godfather 
and  godmother.  There  is  much  confusion  in  the  dates,  which  spring  forward 
and  backward,  making  calculations  of  the  immbers  very  difficidt.  No  entries 
■of  any  interest  occur. 

The  whole  of  the  remaining  nine  volumes — of  various  sizes,  from  the  largest 
folio  to  the  smallest  duodecimo — ai-e  filled  with  mere  index-Uke  entries  of 
baptisms  and  marriages,  ranging  over  the  period  from  1 650  to  1 758.  x\gainst 
the  cover  of  the  fifth  volume  is  pasted  the  official  "certificate,"  describing  the 
registers.  It  is  as  follows  :  "  The  thirteen  accompannng  books  are  the  orig- 
inal register-books  of  baptisms  and  marriages  which  have  been  kept  for  the 
church  called  the  London  Walloon  Church,  being  of  the  French  Protestant 
denomination,  situate  in  Threadneedle  Street,  in  the  city  of  London,  founded 
about  the  year  1 546.  The  books  have  been,  from  time  to  time,  in  the  cus- 
tody of  the  consistory  for  the  time  being  of  the  congregation,  and  are  sent  to 
the  commissioners  from  the  immediate  custody  of  the  said  consistory.  Sign- 
ed the  21st  of  October,  1 840.     F.  Martin,  minister." 

Among  the  names  which  most  frequently  occur  in  the  register  are  those  of 
Du  Bois,  Denys,  Primerose,  Mahieu  (Mayhew),  Bultel,  Brunet,  Coppinger, 
Felles,  Mariot  (Mariott),  Pinchon,  Ducane  or  Du  Quesne,  Vincent,  Leadbit- 
ter,  Pontin,  Waldo,  De  la  Marre,  and  Papillon. 

Among  the  ministers  of  the  church  were  Francois  La  Ri^-iere  and  Richard 
Francois,  appointed  in  1550  ;  Samuel  le  Chevalier  (1591)  ;  Gilbert  Primerose, 
also  king's  chaphxin  (1623);  Pierre  Dumoulin  (1624);  Ezekiel  Marmet 
(1631);  Charles  Bertheau  (1687);  Jacques  Saurin(  1701);  Ezechiel  Barbauld 
(1704);  Jean  Jacques  Claude,  grandson  of  the  celebrated  Claude  (1711); 
Da\-id  Henry  Durand  (1760)  ;  and  Jean  Romilly  (1766). 


FRENCH  CHURCH  OF  THE  SA  VOY.  371 


French  Church  of  the  Savoy,  Strand,  London. 

These  registers  are  in  two  folios,  the  first  with  entries  of  marriages  from 
1G84  to  1753,  and  the  second,  a  much  thinner  volume,  with  entries  of  bajc 
tisms,  marriages,  banns,  and  sundiy  other  notices,  from  1699  to  1773.  The 
title-page  of  the  first  book  is  "  Li\Te  des  Manages  de  I'Eglise  fran9oise  de  la 
Savoye,  commence  au  nom  de  Dieu  a  Londres  le  premier  May,  1G84."  In 
the  earlier  entries,  only  the  names  of  the  bridegroom  and  bride,  together  with 
that  of  the  officiating  minister,  are  given  ;  but  the  latter  notices  are  a  little - 
fuller,  mentioning  frequently  the  origin  and  domicile  of  the  married  couple,  as 
well  as  their  trade  and  profession.  This  is  the  case  particularly  from  the 
year  1 700,  the  first  entry  of  which  notes  the  nuptials  of  ' '  Jean  Anthoine 
Laroche,  chirurgien,  demeurant  en  Panton  Street,  paroisse  de  St.  Martin-in- 
the-Fields,  a  I'enseigne  d'un  baston  de  chirurgien." 

In  many  of  the  descriptions  of  domicile  there  is  a  curious  mixture  of  French 
and  English.  Under  date  of  July  20,  1 700,  is  entered  the  marriage  of 
"Pierre  Pinsun,  lieutenant,  loge'  en  Berwick  Street,  nex  door  to  Mr.  Clerck, 
King's  Messenger,  paroisse  St.  James ;"  and  the  entry  after  this,  dated  July 
21,  1700,  refers  to  "Jacob  Bouchet,  vermisseur,  demeurant  paroisse  St. 
James,  in  St.  James  Street,  chez  un  Sheesmonguer  a  I'enseigne  de  I'lndien." 
The  next  four  entries  record  the  nuptials  of  "  Pierre  Deconde  de  Largni,  cap- 
itaine  dans  les  troupes  de  Hollande,  demeurant  en  Sofolstreet  chez  Madame 
Benoist,  au  miheu  de  la  rue ;"  of  "  Jean  Maret,  officier  de  Marine,  loge'  en  la 
paroisse  de  St.  Anne,  Westminster,  in  Bruce  Street,  joignent  I'enseigne  de 
Marocco ;"  of  "Paul  Lescot,  ministre  de  St.  Evangille,  demeurant  en  Kuper- 
street  aux  deux  pihers  noirs,  v'is-a-vis  une  boutique  de  cuisinier  on  rotisseur ; " 
and  of  "Michel  Cauvin,  menusier,  demeurant  en  Contompt  Street,  proche 
I'enseigne  des  trois  pigeons."  The  sui-geons  and  physicians  are  rather  nu- 
merously represented  ;  and  in  1704  there  is  one  "  Estienne  Baron  dit  Dupont, 
operateur  pour  les  dents." 

Under  date  of  Nov.  22,  1719,  there  is  an  entry  of  imusual  length,  diifering 
in  form  from  all  others.  It  runs:  "  Je  sousigne  Saville  Bradely,  chapelain 
de  Mylord  due  de  Richemont,  rectt:ur  de  Earnly  dans  la  province  de  Sussex 
en  Angleterre,  certifie  avoir  aujourdh>ii  marie'  Ecuyer  Charles  Theodore  de 
Maxiiel,  capitain  dans  le  regiment  de  Gauvain  au  senice  de  sa  Majeste' 
Britannique,  a  la  demoiselle  Marthe  Susanne  Degennes,  fille  de  Daniel  De- 
gennes  sieur  de  la  Picottiere,  et  de  dame  Judith  Kavenel,  demeurant  a  Mor- 
laix  en  Bretagne,  dans  I'hotel  de  son  Excellence  Mylord  Comte  de  Stair, 
ambassadeur  extraordinaire  du  Koy  de  la  Grande  Bretagne  a  Paris  ce  neuf 
de  Novembre,  mille  sept  cens  dix  neuf"  The  entries  from  1700  to  1720  av- 
erage twenty  per  annum  ;  but  subsequent  to  the  latter  date  there  is  a  gradu- 
al decline,  tiU  toward  the  end  there  are  not  more  than  two  marriages  a  year. 
The  last  is  dated  October  14,  17r)3. 

The  second  volume  of  the  Savoy  records,  a  very  thin  foUo,  is  filled  with  en- 
tries of  baptisms,  most  of  them  very  short,  interspersed  with  notices  and  let- 
ters relating  to  the  same.  There  is  great  confusion  among  the  whole  of  the 
entries  ,  many  of  them  are  struck  through  with  the  pen,  and  queries  attachetl 
to  others.     At  the  end  is  a  certificate  of  the  "  Commissaires  nomme's  par  Li 


372  REGL-iTERS  OE  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

compagnie  dii  Consistoire  de  I'Eglise  de  la  Savoie,"  stating  that  they  have 
examined  the  registers,  and  "  corrige  lesfiuites  qui  nous  ont  parus  essentielles 
avec  tout  le  soin  et  I'attention,  dont  nous  avons  e'te'  capables."  The  certifi- 
cate seems  to  refer  to  many  more  hooks  than  tliose  now  at  the  General  Reg- 
ister Office. 

Among  the  celebrated  ministers  of  this  church  were  James  Abbadie  (1700), 
James  Severin  (1703),  Claude  de  la  Mothe  (170.-)),  John  Dubourdieu  (1709), 
Louis  Saurin  (1711),  J.  J.  Majendie  (173.-)),  and  David  Durand,  D.D.,  the 
well-known  author. 

Sivallow  Street  Cliapel,  London. 

The  registers  of  this  place  of  worship,  bound  in  a  thin  folio,  contain  entries 
of  baptisms  and  marriages,  with  various  other  notices  chiefly  relating  to  con- 
versions and  "  reconnoissances,"  from  the  }-ear  1G90  to  1 709.  Nearly  all  the 
entries  are  of  some  length,  with  many  particidars  as  to  the  birth,  origin,  and 
nationahty  of  the  indinduals  concerned.  One  of  the  first  entries  runs  :  "  Le 
Dimanche  dixhuitieme  jom-  de  May,  1690,  a  este'  baptise  Frideric  fils  de  Guy 
JMesming,  docteur  en  medecine  et  Anne  Marie  son  e'pouse,  ayant  Monsieur 
AVolfgang  de  Schmettau  ministre  d'Estat  et  En^•oye  Extraordinaire  de  sa 
Serenite'  Electorale  de  Brandebourg  vers  leur  Majeste's  Britanniques  et  Mon- 
sieur Jean  de  Remy  de  Montigny  gentilhomme  de  la  Reyne  pour  parrain,  et 
dam'^-  Madeleine  Olympe  Beauchanip  pour  marraine,  lesquels  ont  dit  I'enfant 
etre  ne  le  12  jour  de  May  dernier,  present  mois  et  an,  et  ont  signe."  Here 
follow  the  signatures  of  the  parents,  godfather  and  godmother,  with  "  Lamothe, 
ministre,"  at  the  end.  Almost  all  the  entries  of  baptism  are  in  a  similar  form, 
while  of  the  marriages  the  following  is  a  specimen:  "  Le  Samedy  septieme 
jour  de  Novembre  an  1G91,  a  este  beny  en  ceste  Eglise,  Monsieur  IMoUet, 
ministre  de  TEglise  francjoise  de  Colchester,  et  JMarguerite  Bureau,  presentee 
par  Isaac  Bureau  son  pere  en  vertu  d'une  licence  a  eux  accorde'e  le  vingt- 
neuvieme  jour  d'Octobre  dernier  et  ont  signe'."  .  .  .  .  Here  again  follow  the 
signatures  of  the  persons  mentioned,  together  ^^•ith  that  of  the  minister. 

The  notices  of  ' '  reconnoissance"  (ackno\\'ledgment  of  sin  or  backsliding) 
are  rather  luimerous,  running  usually  as  follows:  "  Vendredy  jjremier  jour 
de  I'anne'e  1 092,  Claude  Richier  refugie'  de  Montpellier  a  temoigne  en  pre- 
sence de  ceste  P'glise  sa  repentance  d'avoir  succombe  sous  le  faix  de  la  perse- 
cution en  abjurant  notre  sainte  Rehgion,  ce  qu'il  a  confirmc'  en  signant  le 
present  acte."  There  is  the  entry  of  a  conversion  on  the  next  page:  "Le 
Dimanche  cinq  jour  de  May,  jour  de  la  Pentecoste,  Susanne  Auvray,  native 
de  Paris,  a  fait  abjuration  publique  en  ceste  Eglise  des  erreurs  et  supersti- 
tions du  I'apisme,  apres  avoir  adonne  des  preuves  d'une  solide  instruction,  de 
sa  piete  et  de  ses  bonnes  moem's,  ce  quelle  a  confirme  en  signant  cet  acte." 
The  notices  of ' '  reconnoissances"  are  most  numerous  in  the  years  1 G92-G,  aft- 
er which  they  gradudly  fall  oft',  disappearing  entirely  with  the  end  of  the  cen- 
tury. 

]Many  names  of  distinguished  persons  occur  among  the  baptismal  entries. 
That  of  King  William  figures  several  times  as  godfather  by  proxy.  The  first 
time  his  majesty  is  mentioned  it  is  as  follows:  "Le  Mercredy  13  jour  de 
Decembre  an  1G93  a  este  baptise  par  Monsieur  de  la  Mothe  I'un  des  pasteurs 


''GOD'S  house;'  SOUTHAMPTON.  373 

de  cette  eglise,  Guillaume  Rabault,  fils  de  Messire  Jean  Rabault,  chevalier 
seigneur  de  la  Coudriere  et  de  dame  Nehene'e  Marguerite,  ne'e  Jedouin,  son 
epouse,  ayant  pour  parrain  le  Tres  Haut  et  Tres  Puissant  Seigneur  Guillaume 
Roy  d'Angleterre,  d'Ecosse,  de  France,  et  d'Irlande,  par  Mylord  Silskirque 
(s'elkirk)  Fun  des  gentilshommes  ordinaires  de  la  Chambre  de  sa  Majeste',  et 
Mylord  Jaques  Due  d'Ormord,  et  pour  marraine  Dame  Caroline  Elisabeth, 
Raugrave  Palatine,  duchesse  de  Schomberg. "  The  name  of ' '  Monsieur  Grave- 
rol,  I'un  de  ministres  de  cette  eglise,"  occurs  first  in  January,  IC'Jl,  in  an  en- 
try of  baptism,  signed,  in  a  beautiful  handwriting,  J.  Graverol ;  while  the  next 
entry,  dated  February,  1G91,  mentions  "  l^Ionsieur  de  Rocheblave,  I'un  des 
pasteurs  de  cette  eglise."  Both  names  occm*  again,  at  intervals,  till  1G98, 
most  frequently  that  of  Graverol.  The  names  of  the  ministers  change  con- 
stantly, and  sometimes  as  many  as  four  appear  in  one  entry. 

The  remaining  registers  of  the  French  churches  in  London  contain  few  en- 
tries worthy  of  particular  notice.  We  therefore  proceed  to  an  examination 
of  the  registers  of  the  country  churches,  more  particularly  that  of  the  "  God's 
House"  at  Southampton,  which  will  be  found  of  peculiar  interest. 

Church  ofSt.Jidien,  or  "  GocVs  House,"  Southampton. 

The  registers  of  this  church  are  in  one  volume  folio,  about  an  inch  thick, 
strongly  bound,  and  very  well  presen-ed.  The  official  certificate,  pasted 
against  the  fly-leaf,  states  that  the  volume  "is  the  original  Register-book  of 
baptisms,  marriages,  deaths,  and  other  entries,  which  has  been  kept  for  the 
formerly  Walloon  Chm-ch,  but  now  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Frencli  Church, 
congregating  in  the  chapel  of  God's  House  at  Southampton,  founded  about 
the  year  l.")G7."  It  is  fiirther  stated  that  "  the  book  has  been  from  time  to 
time  in  the  custody  of  the  ministers  or  elders  for  the  time  being,  and  is  sent 
to  the  commissioners  from  the  immediate  custody  of  George  Atherley,  Esq., 
who  has  kept  it  since  1832  as  elder  and  trustee."  This  certificate  bears  the 
date  December  22,  1837,  with  "  Frederick  Vincent,"  minister,  at  the  bottom. 

The  first  series  of  entries  in  this  volume,  filling  about  thirty-six  pages,  are 
lists  of  persons  who  attended  Holy  Communion.  The  heading  of  the  first 
page  is  "  Ensuyt  les  noms  de  ceux  qui  out  fiiict  professio  de  leur  foy  et  admis 
a  la  Cene  le  21  de  Decebre,  ir)07."  The  number  of  communicants  under  this 
date  is  fifty-eight,  the  last  eight  in  the  list  being  distinguished  as  "  Anglois." 
The  second  body  of  communicants,  entered  under  date  of  April  .">,  l.'')('>8,  num- 
ber thirty-nine;  and  the  third,  under  date  of  July,  ir)(i8,  amount  to  ten. 
There  is  a  great  variation  in  the  numbers  set  down  for  the  following  years  ; 
but  the  entries,  which  at  first  contain  the  mere  names,  become  graihially 
more  distinct,  specifying  the  place  of  origin  of  the  communicants,  and  v.t 
times,  though  very  rarely,  the  trade  or  profession.  The  trades  mentioned 
are  "  tisseran,"  "  boulangier,"  "  coustelier,"  and  "  brasseur ;"  and  the  profes- 
sions "medecin"and  "ministre."  The  medical  men  are*  comparatively  nu- 
merous. Among  the  jilaces  of  origin  most  frequently  mentioned  are  Valen- 
c-iemies.  Lisle,  Dieppe,  "  Gemese"  (Guernsey),  and  "  Jerse." 

From  many  entries  it  appears  that  the  Holy  Communion  was  only  admin- 
istered to  those  newly  arrived  in  the  colony  after  they  had  furnished  satisfitc 


374  REGIS T£liS  OF  FliLWCII  CHURCHES. 

tory  proofs  of  being  tnie  Protestants.  The  words  "  te'raoignage  par  ecrit," 
or  simply  "  temoignage,"  are  attached  to  a  great  many  names.  The  with- 
holding of  the  communion  occurred  often,  and  for  various  causes.  Under 
date  of  3d  July,  1509,  there  is  the  entry,  "  Cene  defendue  a  Martin  Lietart 
pour  avoir  battu  et  maure  sa  famme."  Again,  under  date  of  2d  April,  1570, 
"Cene  defendue  a  Jan  Groza  pour  ivrognerie  continuelle."  Under  date  of 
October  1,  1570,  the  entry  is  "  La  Cene  fut  suspendue  a  Lille  le  Felu  pour 
ivrognerie  jusques  a  ce  qon  voiroit  son  repentance."  Under  date  of  the  5th 
of  July,  1573,  the  reason  for  requiring  "  te'moignages"  is  distinctly  stated  to 
be  "pour  ferre  paroir  qu'ils  estoient  dela  religion  auparavant  estre  sortie  de 
la  France,  de  poeur  de  quelque  faux  frere  cjui  vien  droit  pour  espier  sous  om- 
bre de  la  religion."  Subsequent  to  the  year  1573  there  are  many  entries 
with  the  word  "  messe"  prefixed,  as  showing  that  the  communicants  had  been 
forced  to  attend  mass  for  a  time.  There  is  a  note  relating  to  this  subject 
under  date  of  Januaiy  3, 1574.  It  i-uns  :  "  Tiebaut  du  Befroi,  sa  femme,  son 
fils,  et  sa  fille,  apres  avoir  feet  leur  recognaissance  publicque  d'avoir  este'  a  la 
messe,  fm^ent  tons  recus  a  la  cene."  The  entries  of  "  messe"  become  less  nu- 
merous subsequent  to  1577;  but  there  are  notices  of  having  "  communique' 
avec  les  anglois." 

There  is  visible  confusion  among  the  entries  of  the  year  1583,  explained  by 
a  note,  dated  the  7th  of  July,  as  follows  :  "  Pom-  la  peste  quy  estoit  au  milieu 
de  nous  fut  le  lendemain  de  la  cene  de  Juilet  les  prieres  publicques  commen- 
ce'es  du  soir  tous  les  jours  hors  presche,  a  5  heures  du  soir."  The  short  list 
of  communicants  of  August,  1583,  has  a  note  attached — "pom-  nous  fortifier 
en  foi,  en  luy  priant  d'avoir  pitie'  de  nous."  The  ravages  of  the  jjlague  are 
visible  for  a  long  time  in  the  small  number  of  persons  attending  "la  Cene," 
who,  after  the  year  1605,  are  mostly  strangers,  producing  "  temoignages," 
or  "avec  attestation."  In  the  whole  year  1G30  there  are  only  nine  commu- 
nicants entered,  six  of  them  "jeunes  filles ;"  in  ](i31  there  are  but  five  com- 
municants ;  and  in  1032  but  two.  Then  there  is  a  blank  till  1002,  when  one 
name  is  entered,  while  three  more  follow  in  1 0(55.  Here  end  the  lists  of  com- 
municants. 

As  a  sort  of  appendix  to  these  lists  there  follows,  after  a  lilank  space,  the 
entry  of  a  conversion.  It  runs  :  "  Le  1 2  iVoust,  1 722.  Monsieur  Pierre  Car- 
pentier  pretre  de  I'eglise  Romaine  du  troisitJme  ordre  des  franciscains,  natif 
de  Paris,  fit  abjuration  publicque  des  erreurs  de  la  dite  eglise  et  fut  recu  a  la 
paix  de  I'Eglise  par  nous  Pierre  Denain,  docteur  en  theologie,  et  ministre  de 
cette  Eghse." 

After  about  sixteen  blank  leaves  a  new  .series  of  entries  commences,  headed 
"  Registre  des  enfans  qui  ont  este  baptisees  en  I'eglise  des  estrangers  Waloris 
en  la  Ville  de  Hampton  admise  par  la  Mageste'  de  la  Roj-ne  Ehzabeth  I'an 
1507."  The  baptisms  commence  in  December,  1507,  when  there  are  two,  the 
fathers  entered  as  from  Valenciennes  and  "  Ilamjjton,"  and  the  mothers  from 
London  and  Valenciennes.  In  the  year  1 508  the  baptisms  number  eight ;  in 
1509,  nine  ;  in  1570,  seventeen  ;  in  1571,  six  ;  in  1572,  ten  ;  in  1573,  fifteen  ; 
in  1574,  twenty;  in  1575,  sixteen;  in  1570,  twenty-two;  and  from  1577  to 
the  end  of  the  century,  they  vary  from  twenty  to  thirty.  But  the  lists  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  regularly  kept,  for  there  are  many  blank  spaces,  and  the 


"  GOUS  house;'  SOUTHAMPTON.  375 

usual  formula,  "fiit  baptize,"  with  name  of  "parin"  or  "tesmoin,"  is  often 
yevy  incomplete.  There  are  several  entries  "  fiit  baptize'  par  Monsieur  Hop- 
kins, ministre  anglois,"  in  1584.  The  place  of  origin  of  the  parents  is  seldom 
given,  but  a  description  of  trade  or  jirofession  occurs  in  a  few  instances; 
i.mong  them  1-iene  Tiedet,  "  orfe^Te ;"  Martin,  "  batteur  d'estain  ;  *  and  Phil- 
ippe de  la  ]Motte,  '•  ministre  de  la  parole  de  Dieu,"all  of  which  names  ajipear 
frequently.  "  jNIonsieur  de  Bouillon,  ministre  de  la  paroUe  de  Dieu,"  is  also 
entered  more  than  once  among  the  parents. 

After  the  year  IfiOO  the  baptismal  registers  are  more  confused  and  irregular 
than  before,  the  names  of  godfathers  and  witnesses  being  scarcely  ever  given. 
From  1G34  to  IC".?  the  entries  entirely  cease,  to  be  resumed  only  in  alternate 
years.  Under  date  of  the  2Cd  of  July,  1  (;.G5,  is  the  following  note,  signed 
"  Couraud,  Pasteur : "  "Dieu  ayant  afflige  notre  ville  du  plus  terrible  de  ses 
fleaux  quj  a  oblige  la  plus  part  des  iiabitans  d"abandonner  leurs  maisons,  et 
Monsieur  Bernert  leur  pasteur  estant  detenu  de  maJadie  et  ayant  este  con- 
traint  de  quitter  sa  demoure  pour  changer  d'air  a  la  campagne,  nous  avons  en 
son  absense  baptize  chins  notre  Eglise  francoise  un  petit  enfant  Anglois  ap- 
pelle  Nicolas,  et  ce  par  I'ordre  de  monsieur  le  Maire."  (Among  the  death 
entries,  farther  on  in  the  book,  stands,  under  date  of  Sept.  21,  1865,  "I\Ion- 
sieur  Couraud,  notre  pasteur — peste.'') 

There  are  only  seven  entries  of  baptism  in  the  year  1(]()5,  among  them 
"Elizabeth,  fille  de  Monsieur  Couraud,  notre  pasteur."  The  next  pastor 
mentioned  is  "Monsieur  Anthoine  Cougot,  ministre  de  ceste  Eglise  et  Doc- 
tem-  en  medecine,"  described,  in  IG'.)!,  as  married  to  one  "  Anthoinette," 
daughter  of  "  ]\Ionseignieur  Marc  Anthoine  de  Eineste  du  Ealga,  gentilhomme 
fran^ois  de  la  province  de  Languedoc."  The  entries  about  this  period  are 
few  in  number,  including,  hov.ever,  names  of  some  distinction.  A  child  of 
"Abraluim  Buillon  de  ^'t.  Hillaire,  sur  Lotize  en  Poitou,"  and  another  of 
"Jean  Thomes,  apoticaire  et  chirugien  de  la  ville  de  (auvisson  en  Langue- 
doc"— the  latter  with  "  Charles  Gajot  de  la  Kenaudiere,  gentilhomme  fran9oi8 
de  la  province  de  Poitou,"  as  godfather — are  entered  in  10!)!.  As  ftir  as  the 
origin  of  the  parents  is  stated,  the  natives  of  Erance  predominate  in  the  lists 
subsequent  to  1C97.  Many  are  entered  as  "Fran9ois  refugiez  ;"  some  from 
"  Basse  Komiandie,"  some  from  "  Haut  Languedoc,"  but  the  greater  num- 
ber from  the  province  of  Poitou.  Under  date  of  July,  1702,  one  "  Gerard  de 
Vaux,  fran(;ois,  de  la  \\\\e  de  Castres  en  Ilaut  Languedoc,"  is  mentioned  as 
possessed  of  a  paper-mill,  "  demeurans  an  moulin  a  papier,  dans  la  i)aroisse  de 
f^'onth  Stoneham,"  and  both  in  IGfl'J  and  in  1705  there  occurs  names  of  offi- 
cers "  dans  le  regiment  du  Colonel  ISIordant,"  or  "  Brigadier  Mordant ;"  while 
in  1711  "Monsieur  le  lieutenant  general  JMordant"  figures  as  the  godfather 
of  twin  sons  of ' '  Monsieur  Fran9ois  du  Chesne  de  Ruffanes,  major  infanterie 
de  (  hevreux  en  Poitou. " 

The  entries  of  baptisms  cease  in  1770,  after  gradually  declining  in  number, 
amounting  to  only  twenty-one  in  the  thirty-three  years  from  1744.  During 
the  whole  of  this  jieriod  the  Keverend  "  Isaac  Jean  Barnouin"  figures  as 
"  ministre  de  cette  eglise ,"  and  a  note  at  the  end,  signed  "  Hugh  Hill,  D.D., 
^■icar  of  Holy  Khood,"  states  that  "  the  Pev.  Isaac  John  Barnouin  died  on  the 
30th  of  March,  1707,  and  was  bm-ied  the  Gth  of  x\pril,  1707." 


376  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

The  lists  of  marriages  commence  in  December,  1567,  but  for  about  130 
yeers,  till  near  the  end  of  tlie  seventeenth  century,  the  entries  are  irregular 
and  somewhat  confused.  .Subsequently  they  are  full  of  details  as  to  the  birth, 
origin,  and,  at  times,  the  profession  of  the  bridegroom  and  bride.  Dming 
the  plague  of  IGCr^-d,  many  English  couples  were  married  in  the  French 
church,  the  EngUsh  clergymen  having  all  fled  from  the  town.  Hence  such 
entries  as  the  following:  "Jacob  Berger  et  >ara  Eaylie,  tons  deux  Englois, 
recevrent  la  Benediction  de  lent  marriage  p  nostre  jiasteur  en  L'Eghse  de  St. 
Jean  en  cette  ville,  les  Ministres  Englois  ayant  abandone'  leur  tropeaux  a 
cause  de  la  peste  qui  ravagoit  en  ce  lieu  ce  4^'"  de  Decembre,  1G6.5."  The 
following  is  a  specimen  of  the  ordinary  entries  :  "  Le  2!>  Novembre,  1702,  a 
etc  beni  par  moi  Antoine  Cougot  le  marriage  de  Jean  Lefebre,  oqihevre  de  sa 
profession,  demeurant  a  Londres,  fils  de  feu  Jean  le  Fabre,  marchand  de  la 
\\\\e.  de  Chalons  en  Champagne  et  de  Marie  Conteneau  sas  jjcre  et  mere,  d'une 
part,  et  d'Esther  Villeneau,  fiUe  de  Charles  Villeneau  marchand  dans  ITsle  de 
Ke'  et  d'Esther  Sone  ses  pere  et  mere  d'autre  part.  Lequel  marriage  a  ete 
benit  apres  la  publication  de  trois  annonces."  The  entries  of  marriages  are 
never  numerous,  either  before  or  after  the  year  1700 — averaging,  on  the 
whole,  not  more  than  two  a  year.  From  1710  to  1720  there  are  but  six; 
from  1720  to  1780,  but  seven  ;  and  from  the  latter  date  till  17r)3,  only  three. 
The  Rev.  Isaac  Jean  Barnoiun,  in  the  whole  of  his  long  ministry,  enters  but 
two  marriages — one  in  173(5,  and  the  other  in  1753.  Very  few  of  the  names 
found  in  the  lists  of  baptisms  reoccur  among  the  marriages,  which  appear  to 
have  taken  place  chiefly  among  persons  settled  at  "  Hamptone,''or,  quite  as 
frequently,  between  natives  of  the  Channel  Islands. 

The  marriage-lists  are  followed  by  twenty-three  blank  pages,  after  which 
commences  the  death-register.  It  is  headed  "  Registre  de  Ceux  qui  sont  mors 
de  I'eglise  de  Estrangers  Walons  admise  par  la  Maiestc'  de  la  Royne  Elizabeth 
en  la  Ville  de  Tlamptone,  1507."  The  first  entries  are  very  short,  giving 
merely  the  name;  but  in  1570  there  is  a  lengthened  notice  of  the  death  of 
one  "  Jlierome  Dentiere,"  native  of  "  Lanbrechie  aupres  de  Lille  lez  flandre," 
farther  described  as  "  souldat  a  monsieur  de  Bergne.'  who  arrived  ill,  "  et  vint 
a  Refuge  de  cette  Eglise  tant  jiom-  estre  aide  en  sa  nesessite  come  pour  avoir 
consoUation,  et  fut  garde  a  la  maison  de  foy  le  perre  bien  long-temps  et  an 
grand  despens  des  poures,  mais  par  la  fin  trespassa  le  17  jour  de  May,  1570, 
et  fut  ensepulture  le  mesme  jour."  The  death-entries  number  not  more  than 
four  or  five  times  per  annum  for  the  first  fifteen  years,  except  in  1 573,  when 
there  are  nine,  five  of  which  are  marked  "passant"  and  "non  de  Teglise,' 
with  fiirther  notice,  in  some  cases,  that  they  were  "mis  aux  depens  des 
poures,"  or  wayfarers  kept  by  public  charity.  The  burial  of  these  jjoor  took 
place  nearly  always  the  same  day,  and  that  of  others  the  day  after  death. 
The  ])lace  of  nativity  is  very  seldom  given  in  the  earlier  entries,  down  to  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  centuiy. 

There  are  long  lists  of  the  dead,  giving  nothing  more  than  the  names,  which 
were  api)arently  entered  in  a  batch;  the  words  "fut  entcne  le  mesme  jour" 
occur  very  frequently  and  regularly  after  the  year  KiOO,  when  the  first  signs 
of  the  ravages  of  the  ])lague  became  strongly  visible.  In  I  (JOl  long  strings 
of  names  are  followed  by  "peste,"  the  entries  throughout  being  of  the  short- 


"GOD'S  HOUSE,''  SOUTHAMPTON. 


est,  such  as  "  Catharine  Martin  mounit  le  30  Aoust — peste,"  and  "  Pierre  tils 
de  Pierre  Geulin  moumt  le  jour  susdit — peste."  In  the  year  1(;04,  I'd  per- 
sons are  set  down  as  having  died  of  the  plague,  the  number  amounting  at 
times,  in  August  and  September,  to  four  and  five  a  day.  In  April,  IGO."),  there 
is  "  non-peste"  after  a  name;  but  no  farther  deaths  are  entered  during  the 
remainder  of  the  year. 

The  first  entry  in  1G17  is  "  Phillippe  de  la  Motte,  ministre  de  la  parole  de 
Dieu  mournt  le  (i  de  May  et  fust  en  terre  le  mesme  jour  en  compaignie  de 
tout  le  magistrat."  There  are  but  three  deaths  on  the  average  of  the  years 
lGl7-()5,  at  which  latter  date  the  word  "peste"  again  makes  its  appearance 
after  the  names.  From  the  1  r)th  of  July,  when  the  ^vord  first  occurs,  till  the 
end  of  the  year  IGl!"),  twenty-three  deaths  from  the  plague  are  recorded.  One 
more  person  died  of  the  plague  in  August.  IGCiG,  after  which  there  stands 
"  non-peste"  to  a  name.  The  entries  henceforth  decrease  farther  in  num- 
ber, and  greatly  change  in  phraseology.  The  old  form  is  "  Guillaume  Man- 
sell  trespassa  le  2G  de  xVuril  an  matin  et  fut  mis  en  terre  le  mesme  jom-  snr 
le  soir;"  while  the  entries  after  the  great  jilague  year  of  IGO")  are  mostly  as 
follows:  "Le  siem*  Mathieu  Brohier  fran(;ois  refugie  est  mort  le  2!)  de  Juin 
est  enterre'  le  30."  The  following  entry  occurs  in  IGGI  :  "  Ce  grand  Seni- 
teur  de  Dieu,  Paul  Mercier,  deceda  le  22™''  d'Aoust,  estant  vendredi,et  fut  en- 
sepultre'  dedans  cette  Eghze  le  Lnndy  ensm'^■ant.  Iceluy  estant  un  des  grand 
Pilliers  de  cette  Eglise  et  plaine  d'aumosne." 

There  are  no  entries  of  any  particular  interest  during  the  whole  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century ;  the  names  are  nearly  all  French,  and  the  description 
"refugie"  very  frequently  accompanies  the  name.  From  1  700  till  1712  there 
are  but  thirty-four  deaths  entered,  and  only  one  in  1713.  The  latter  is  of 
unusual  length,  as  follows:  "Demoiselle  Antoinete  de  Ginesse  de  la  ville  de 
Puitaurens  en  Languedoc  et  femme  du  sieur  Antoine  Cougot,  docteur  en 
medicine,  Recteur  de  Millbrook  et  ministre  de  cette  Eglise,  est  morte  le  21 
]May,  1713,  et  a  ete'  enterre  le  25''  dans  I'eglise  de  la  Toussaint  proche  la  ta- 
ble de  la  communion."  There  is  no  death  entered  in  1714,  and  but  one  in 
171."),  running,  "  Monsieur  Samuel  Dornam.  gentilhomme  refugie,  ne'  a  Alen- 
9on  est  mort  le  17  Juillet  et  enterre  le  19''." 

In  1721  we  find  the  following  obituary  notice  fiUing  nearly  half  a  page: 
"Monsieur  Philibert  d'Hervart,  baron  d'Hunniggen,  fran9ais  refugie',  mourut 
en  cette  ville  le  30  Avril,  1721,  age  de  4G  ans  et  fut  enterre'  dans  I'e'glise  pa- 
roissiale  d'Holirood,  aupres  de  M.  Fre'deric  d'Hervart  son  fils,  le  mercredisui- 
vant,  son  corps  etant  conduit  a  la  sepulture  })ar  tons  les  ministres  francjois  et 
anglois  de  cette  ville  et  de  St.  Mary,  et  par  une  grande  multitude  de  fran9ois 
et  d'anglois.  Sous  le  regne  de  Guillaume  troisieme  il  fut  envoye  extraordi- 
naire a  Geneve,  en  Suisse,  et  s'c'tant  retire'  de  cette  ville  il  a  laisse  des  mar- 
ques de  sa  grande  charite  pour  les  pauvres  en  laissant  a.  cette  eglise  un  billet 
de  £32  sterling,  plus  tard  encore  £T)0  sterling ;  aussy  bien  que  de  son  zele 
pour  la  gloire  de  Dieu  en  laissant  pour  I'entretien  du  ministere  de  cette  e'glise 
la  somme  de  12  liM'es  sterling  de  rentes.  II  avoir  donne'  il  y  a  environ  8  mois 
f}uatre  mille  livres  sterling  a  I'hopital  des  franoois  refugie's  a  Londres,  vulgaire- 
ment  appelle  la  Providence.  Les  pauvres  des  deux  nations  fran(;oise  et  an- 
gliose  perdent  beaucoup  a  sa  mort.  Du  veuille  avoir  pitie  deux,  a  leiu-  susci- 
ter  des  persounes  aussy  charitables." 


378  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

This  entrj'  is  followed  by  another  of  some  interest.  It  is  :  "  Monsieur  An- 
toine  Cougot,  cy-devnnt  ministre  de  cette  eglise  mouinit  en  cette  ville  le  14  de 
May,  1721,  et  fat  enterre  le  Mercredy  suivant  dans  I'e'glise  paroissiale  de  Mill- 
brook  dont  il  e'toit  recteur  ;  il  avoit  ser\T  cette  eglise  avec  e'dification  j)endant 
30  aus."  There  are  two  more  entries  after  this,  the  one  stating  the  decease 
of"  damoiselle  la  Ouce  du  Terme,  fiUe  de  Monsiem-  le  Colonnel  du  Terme," 
in  August,  1721,  and  the  other  that  of  "  Monsieur  Francois  du  Koure',"  in 
March,  1 722.     Here  the  death-register  ends. 

After  an  intervening  <]mce  of  thirty  blank  leaves,  another,  and  exceedingly 
interesting  series  of  entries  commences,  specifnng  the  Fasts  and  Thanksgiv- 
ings held  at  the  church  of"  God's  House.'"  The  heading  of  these  entries  is 
'  ■  I-es  jeusnes  publicques  quy  se  sont  fectes  en  ceste  Eglise  Contre  les  tamps 
dafliction  selon  la  Coustume  des  Eglises  de  Dieu."  The  fasts,  numbered  in 
chronological  order,  extend  from  ir)G8  till  the  year  1007,  or  exactly  a  centu- 
ry. There  are  altogether  sixty-eight  "jeusnes,"  besides  three  thanksgiv- 
ings, or  "  actions  de  graces,"  all  of  them  containing  reflections  on  contempo- 
rary events. 

Tiie  first  entry  is  as  follows  :  "  Lan  1508,  le  8"  jour  de  Setembre  fut  cele- 
bre'  le  jeusne  publicque,  I'oeasion  estoit  que  Monsigneur  le  Prince  d'oreng  de- 
scendoit  dalemaigne  aux  paiis  bas  pour  assaie',  avec  I'aide  de  Dieu  de  delin'es 
les  poures  eglises  dafliction,  or  pour  prier  ])lus  ardament  le  Seigneur  a  la  de- 
lin'ance  de  son  peuple  le  jeusne  fut  celebre'. " 

The  second  entry  is  as  follows  :  "  Lan  10  70.  An  G^  jour  de  May  fut  cel- 
ebre' le  jeusne,  I'oeasion  estait  que  Monsieur  le  prince  de  Conde  et  Autres 
l)rinces  de  la  f ranee  estantes  en  guerre  ])our  maintenir  la  \rai  religion  que  le 
I\oy  voidait  abolir,  perdirent  une  grose  bataille,  de  quoi  toutes  les  Eglises  se 
seroient  fort  desolees  en  pro  chaines  de  calamite'  extreme.  A  cette  cause  on 
celebra  le  jeusne  pour  prier  pour  eux." 

The  third  entry  runs:  "Lan  1572.  Le  25  jour  le  Fetembre  fut  celebre 
une  jeusne  publique,  la  raison  estoit  pour  ce  que  Monsieur  le  Prince  d'orenge 
estait  venu  aux  paiis  bas  avec  nouvelle  armee  dalemaigne  pour  asaier  a  deliv- 
rer  le  pais  e  les  jjauvres  eglises  hors  de  la  main  du  due  d'Albe  ce  cruel  tiran, 
et  aussi  principallement  ]jour  ce  que  les  eglises  de  la  France  estoient  en  une 
merveilleuse  et  horrible  calamite'  extreme.  Une  horrible  massacre  avoit  este 
fait  a  paris  le  24  jour  daout  passe,  un  grand  nombre  de  nobles  et  de  fidelles 
furent  tues  en  une  nuit,  environ  de  12  ou  13  milles,  la  Presche  deffendu  ])ar 
tout  le  roiaume  et  tons  les  biens  des  fidelles  j)illes  ])ar  tout  le  roiaume,  or  pour 
la  consoUation  d'eux  et  des  paix  bas,  et  jiour  prier  le  Seigneur  a  lem-  deliv- 
rance  fut  celebre  ce  jeusne  solemmel." 

Tiie  next  six  "jeusnes,"  numbered  4  to  10  (1574-5),  were  held  to  pi-ay  for 
the  "pauvres  eglises"  of  France  and  Holland;  also  for  ])reservation  against 
the  plague.  The  next  after  tliis,  marked  11,  is  as  follows:  "Le  vingt  et 
neuvieme  d'aout  1 570  fut  celebre'  un  jeusne  public  en  ceste  eglise  ])riant  Dieu 
de  maintenir  la  maiestc'  de  la  Heine  en  l)one  Amitie  et  acord  avec  I\L  le  i)rince 
d'orenge,  a  la  gloire  de  dieu  et  au  salut  et  conservation  des  eglises." 

The  next,  the  12th  entry,  nms:  "Le  22  Novembre,  1 570,  le  jeusne  fut 
celo.brc  en  ceste  eglise  et  ce  niesme  join*  aussi  en  firent  autant  toutes  les  eglises 
des  estrangers  refugiez  en  angleterre.     Priant  dieu  j)our  la  conservation  des 


"  GOD'S  HOUSE,"  SOUTHAMPTON.  379 

eglises  de  I' ranee  quy  se  voient  menachees  et  pour  la  delivrance  plainiere  de 
celles  des  pais  de  flandres  et  pour  la  cousolassion  des  paures  fidelles  quy  ont 
recu  grand  afliction  a  la  destruction  de  la  Ville  d'anvers  que  I'espagnol  a  de- 
truicte  le  i^  du  present,  et  pour  prier  le  h'eigneur  leur  tenir  la  bride  afin  quy 
n'aillent  point  plus  ontre  afligat  le  peuple." 

Tiie  13th  entry  runs  :  "An  niois  de  feburier  mil  cine  cens  septante  et  sept, 
le  4*^  jour  fut  celebre  un  jeusne  jniblic  aves  toutes  les  eglises  estrangeres  quy 
sont  en  Angleterre  priant  dieu  pour  les  eglises  quy  sont  en  la  france  et  flan- 
dres a  ce  quelles  fnrent  gardees  cotre  les  menees  qu'on  etendait  que  I'ennemy 
faisoit  pour  les  grener  en  rompant  la  paix." 

-  The  14th  fost  relates  to  the  war  in  the  Netherlands,  prayers  being  directed 
against  the  progress  of  the  "  frere  bastard  du  Koy  d'esjjaine."  The  1.5th  en- 
try is  to  the  same  effect:  "Pour  cause  que  Dom  Jan  d'austrice  avait  une 
grosse  armee  au  paiis  de  brabat."  The  Ifith  fast,  dated  Marcli  30, 1579,  like- 
wise  relates  to  the  war  in  the  Netherlands — "  respagnol  gouverne'  ])ar  le 
prince  de  parme"  being  prayed  against.  The  17th  entry  runs:  "  Le  23*^ 
Jailet,  157'J,  fut  celebre  le  jeusne  Apres  la  prinse  de  Mastrik  par  les  espag- 
nols  priant  dieu  avoir  pitie  de  son  eglise  des  paiis  bas,  ou  les  alferres  sont  a 
present  en  horrible  confusion,  et  aussy  priat  a  dieu  que  les  eglises  en  le  paiis 
ne  soient  troublees  par  la  venue  du  due  d'alencon  de  laquelle  on  parle  beau- 
coup."     [Duke  d'Alen^on,  favored  suitor  of  Queen  Elizabeth.] 

The  next  fast,  the  18th,  relates  to  an  earthquake  in  England  and  France, 
as  follows :  "Le  28  d'Auril,  ir)80,  le  jeusne  fut  celebre'  pom-  prier  dieu  nous 
garder  contre  son  ire  quy  le  (J  de  ce  mois  nous  avoit  este  monstre'  par  un  grand 
tremblemet  de  terre  quy  a  este  non  seulemet  en  tout  ce  Koiaume  mes  aussy 
Picardie  et  les  paiis  bas  de  la  flandres.  comme  pour  garder  de  guerre,  de  peste, 
et  jjour  presen-er  les  pauvres  eglises  de  flandres  e  france  des  eftbrs  de  leurs 
enemis  quy  requilloient  leurs  forces  avec  une  grant  arniee  d'esjjagne  pour  les 
tenir  aft'aillir. " 

The  Itlth  fast  relates  to  the  great  comet  of  1581.  The  entiy  runs:  "Le 
(!^  d'Auril,  1581,  le  jeusne  fut  celebre'  pour  prier  dieu  nous  garder  cotre  les  ef 
fets  des  signes  de  son  ire  dequoy  avons  este  menachee  en  la  Commette  qny 
s'est  commencee  a  monstrer  le  8  d'octobre  et  a  duree  jusques  au  1  '1  decebre. 
puis  aussi  cotre  les  grands  changements  et  ressolutions  aparentes  en  pais  de 
flandres  et  ailleurs  par  de  la,  afin  que  de  sa  grace.  II  luy  pleut  tout  tourner 
a  bien  pour  le  profit  de  son  eglise/' 

The  20th  fost  (January  25,  1  ^52)  relates  again  to  the  war  in  the  Nether- 
lands— "pour  prier  pour  les  eglises  de  flandres  quo  Ton  voisit  en  grant  con- 
fusion et  afliction."  Very  similar  is  the  entry  of  the  21st  fost,  dated  28th  of 
February,  1583,  held  "  pour  prier  dieu  d'avoir  pitie  de  ses  eglises  quy  sont  en 
la  flandi'es. " 

The  entry  of  the  22d  fast  nms :  "Le  12  Septebre,  1583,  Le  jusne  public 
fut  celebre  en  priant  dieu  pour  les  pauvres  eglises,  premierement  pour  celles 
en  la  france  quy  sont  en  grande  Menace  d'affliction  pour  guerres.  celles  de 
flandres  sont  affliges  par  les  espagnols  et  Malcontens  quy  gattent  la  flandres  et 
remettent  la  papaute  et  idolatrie  por  toutes  les  A-illes  quy  prennent,  et  en 
troisieme  lieu  pour  ceste  eglise  ici  en  ceste  ville  quy  passe  5  ou  G  mois  a  este 
afSige'e  de  peste  de  la  en  est  morte  en  ceste  eglise  environ  50  personnes  et  en 


380  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

ceste  \'iUe  environ  400  et  continue  encore  I'afliction,  le  seignem-  la  veuille  faire 
cesser  bientost  et  ici  et  aiUeurs  aussi." 

The  23d  fast  again  relates  to  the  doings  in  Flanders — "  les  hombles  guerres 
des  espagnols  et  malcontents."  The  next  four  entries,  fasts  24  to  28,  are  still 
concerning  the  wars  in  France  and  the  Netherlands,  and  other  great  troubles, 
•'desquels  I'Eglise  de  dieu  estoit  menacee." 

Between  the  2nth  and  30th  fasts  there  is  an  entry  of  thanksgi\-ing  concern- 
ing the  great  Annada  of  Spain.  The  entry  is  as  follows  :  "'Actions  de  graces, 
le  29''  de  Novebre,  l;"i88.  graces  fiiret  rendues  publiquement  an  i-eigneur 
pour  la  dissipation  estrange  de  la  flotte  d'Espagne  quy  s'estoit  rendue  :uix 
costes  d'Angleterre  peur  conquester  ledit  royaume  et  le  remettre  sous  la  ty- 
rannie  du  Tape."  The  30th  fast  reflects  upon  the  previous  thanksgiving. 
The  entry  nins :  "  Le  5  de  Decebre,  la88,  le  jeusne  public  fut  celebre'  afin  de 
prier  le  Seigneur  qu'il  luy  plaise  donner  aux  Eglises  de  franco  et  de  flandres 
semblable  deli\Tance  come  celle  de  laquele  il  est  cidessus  fait  mention." 

The  next  entiy  is  as  follows :  "  Le  19'^  jour  de  May,  ir>8i),  le  jeusne  fut 
publis  en  noctre  assembles  pour  le  celebrer  le  22  du  mesme  mois  pour  prier  le 
Seigneur  qu'il  lui  plaise  benir  I'armee  navale  de  la  Serenissime  Elizabeth  roine 
d'Angleterre  quy  avoit  f;xit  voile  cotre  I'espagnol.  Item  pour  supplier  qu'il  lui 
plaise  aussi  doner  paix  heureuse  aux  eglises  de  france  et  de  flandres." 

The  32d  fast  relates  to  the  change  of  d^^lasty  in  France.  The  entry  runs  : 
"Le  21  d'Aout,  laSO,  le  jusne  publique  fut  celebre  en  ceste  Eglise  de  Hamp- 
tone  come  par  toutes  les  Eglises  estrangeres  de  ce  royaume  pour  les  troubles 
et  remuements  de  la  france  a  cause  du  transport  de  la  coui'onne  en  la  maison 
de  Bourbon  et  les  maux  dequels  I'Eglise  estoit  menacee,  a  cette  fin  que  I'ire 
de  Dieu  estant  ajjpaise'e  il  se  montra  favorable  a  I'Eglise.'' 

This  fast  is  followed  by  another  thanksgiving  registered  as  follows  :  ''  Le 
20  de  Mars,  JoDO,  graces  fiu-ent  publiquement  rendues  au  Seigneur  pour  l.i 
"V'ictoire  signalee  que  le  Koy  de  France  et  de  Navarre  a  obtenue  par  le  faveur 
de  I'Eternal  des  arme'es  siu-  ses  enemis  le  14  de  Mars  stil  nouveau  aupres  dn 
village  nomme  St.  Andre'."  The  33d  and  34th  fasts  relate  to  the  state  of 
affairs  in  France,  and  the  struggle  of  the  new  king  to  maintain  both  the  Re- 
formed religion  and  his  crown,  "  choses  que  n'estoient  point  sans  grandes  dif- 
ficulte's. " 

The  entry  of  the  34th  fast  is  followed  by  a  note  recording  a  visit  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  to  Southampton.  The  note  runs:  "Le  4  de  Septebre,  l.'Ul,  la 
Serenissime  Elizabeth  Koine  d'Angleterre  ^-int  a  Hamptone  avec  toute  sa  court 
quy  estoit  tres  grande  et  pai'tit  le  7^  dudit  mois  envers  le  midi,  et  come  elle 
partoit  et  estoit  hors  de  la  ville,  n'aj-ans  pent  avoir  acces  vers  sa  JVIajeste  en 
la  ville,  la  remerciasmes  de  ce  que  passe  ^-ingt  quatre  ans  avoit  este  nous  main- 
tenus  en  ceste  ^-ille  en  tranqmllite'  e  repos.  Elle  repondit  fort  humainement 
louant  Dieu  de  ce  qu'il  luy  avoit  donne'  puissance  de  recueillir  et  foire  bien 
aux  poures  estrangers. " 

The  entries  of  the  six  fasts  numbered  35-40  relate  to  the  wars  in  France 
and  the  Netlierlands,  with  prayers  against  "les  nouveaux  appareils  du  Due 
de  Farme  cotre  le  Koy."  The  41st  fast  speaks  about  a  general  dearth  of 
food  in  England.  The  entry  is:  "  Le  12  de  Janvier,  l.")'.)7,  le  jeusne  pu- 
blique fut  celebre  cu  cette  eglise  a  cause  de  la  cherete  horrible  par  tout  ce  roy- 


''GOD'S  house;'  SOUTHAMPTON.  381 

aume  de  bles  par  la  longue  continuation  des  plages  quy  a  gate  la  moisson  et 
la  semaille."  Tlie  42d  fost  relates  to  the  assistance  given  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth to  Henry  1  \' .  The  entry  runs  :  "  Le  25  de  Juliette,  1 T)'.)?,  le  jusne  pub- 
lique  fut  celebre'  en  ceste  Eglise  come  aussi  en  les  autres  Eglises  estrangeres 
pour  prier  le  .-eigneur  qu'il  luy  plaite  doner  bons  succes  a  Tarnic'e  de  lay 
ivoyne."  The  next  two  entries  are  on  the  same  subject,  the  fasts  being 
'•pour  iuvocquer  ard-iment  TEternel  qu'il  luy  plaise  benir  les  amies  de  la 
Koine  en  Irlande  cotre  les  rebelles  fomantez  par  I'espagnol." 

The  4oth  entry  runs:  "Le  jeusne  fut  celebre'  en  ceste  eglise  le  25'^  Aout, 
!.";»ll,  par  advis  de  la  Compagnie,  pour  les  bruits  de  guei-re  et  apprehensions 
d",une  tlotte  d'Espagne  et  autres  remuements  quy  parassoient  alors,  afin  d'in- 
duire  le  peuple  a  serieuse  conversion  au  Seigneur."  The  next  two  entries  re- 
late again  to  the  war  in  the  Netherlands,  notably  "une  bataille  fort  furieuse 
entre  le  comto  Maurice  et  FArchiduc." 

In  the  48th  entry  reference  is  made  to  a  new  outbreak  of  the  plague,  as 
follows ;  "  Le  jusne  public  fut  celebre  particidierement  en  ceste  eghse  le  8" 
de  Feburier,  IGO-t,  a  raison  de  la  maladie  cotagieuse  de  laquele  nos  estions 
meuacez,  Dieu  ayant  visite'  quelques  deux  a  trois  families  en  ceste  ville  de 
cotagio."  The  4i)th  fiist  relates  to  the  affairs  of  Flanders,  and  again  to  the 
plague  :  "  Le  jusne  publicque  fut  celebre  en  ceste  Eglise  le  24"  de  May,  1604, 
come  aussy  aux  autres  Eglises  de  la  langue  fran9oise  en  ce  royaume,  tant  a 
raison  de  I'estat  de  Flandres,  le  conte  Maurice  assiegant  I'Escluse  et  s'effor9ant 
de  faire  lever  le  siege  de  Ostende  assiegce  par  I'Archiduc  d'Autriche  ;  que  pour 
TEstat  de  ce  pays,  le  parlement  sestenant  e  reeluy,  aussi  pour  les  verges  de 
grand  chastiement  de  peste  que  Dieu  monstroite  a  Londres  et  autres  endroits 
du  royaume,  et  outre  tout  cela  pour  ce  qu'en  nostre  Eglise  nos  estions  apres 
la  confirmation  et  instalation  du  frere  Timothee  Blier  au  Saint  Miuistere  de 
TEvangile." 

The  next  entry  still  refers  to  the  plague.  It  rims  :  "  Le  jusne  public  fut 
celebre  en  ceste  eglise  le  IP  de  Juliette,  1G04,  a  raison  de  la  maladie  cota- 
gieuse  laquele  estoit  bien  affreuse  au  milieu  de  ceste  Kepuljlique  et  de  nostre 
eglise." 

The  next  is  an  entry  of  thanksginng  for  the  cessation  of  the  plague,  as  fol- 
lows :  "Le  IG  de  Jamder,  1005,  actions  de  graces  publiques  et  solennelles 
furet  rendues  au  Seigneur  particulierement  en  nostre  egUse  de  ce  qu'il  avoit 
jjleu  a  Dieu  de  faire  cesser  le  grand  fle'au  de  peste  tant  en  nostre  Assemble'e 
qu"en  la  IJepublique  de  ceste  ville." 

The  51st  fast  is  entered :  "  I>e  30  May,  1C05,  le  jeusne  fut  celebre'  en  ceste 
Eglise  come  aussy  en  les  autres  Eglises  estrangeres  recueillis  en  ce  royaiune 
pom-  invocquer  plus  ardameut  le  Seigneur  pour  la  prosperite  de  cest  Estat,  et 
jjour  les  estats  de  Hollande  et  autres  jjrovinces  Unies  qu'il  jilaise  a  Dieu  beuir 
leurs  armes  a  sa  gloire  et  au  bien  de  toute  son  Eglise." 

The  52d  fiist  again  refers  to  tlie  plague.  The  entry  iiins  :  "Le  22<=  d'Oc- 
tobre,  IGOG,  le  jusne  publiquefut  celebre  en  ceste  Eglise  come  le  jour  suivant 
il  fust  aux  Eglises  estrangeres  recueillies  en  ce  royaume  a  cette  fin  de  prier  le 
Seigneur  a  ce  qu'il  aj)paisat  son  ire  embraze'e  cotre  les  freres  de  Londr-es  les- 
quels  il  visitoit  de  grand  fleau  de  peste,  et  semblablement  pour  le  sup;  lier 
d'aecompaguer  les  arme'es  de  Messeigneurs  les  Estats  des  Produces  Unies  de 


382  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

ses  faveurs  accoustumees  reprimant  les  gloires  et  triomphes  profanes  des  en- 
nemis  de  la  verite. " 

The  o3d  fast,  occurring  after  an  interval  of  eight  years,  refers,  for  the  first 
time,  to  the  Protestants  of  Germany.  The  entry  is  as  follows:  ^"Le  14  de 
Sept.,  1614,  le  jeusne  fat  celebre'  en  oette  Eglise  au  mesme  jour  que  les  autres 
estrangeres  de  ce  royaume  pour  prier  le  b'eigneur  de  dissiper  les  enterprises  de 
I'empereur  et  du  Pape  et  leurs  confederes  s'efforcants  de  miner  les  FZglises  de 
I'Allemagne,  et  benir  au  contraire  les  armes  de  ceux  qu'il  suscitoit  pour  la 
consei-\'ation  de  son  Eglise." 

The  54th  fast  has  reference  to  France,  as  follows:  "Le  16  de  November, 
1615.  Le  jeusne  fust  celebre  en  ceste  Eglise  au  mesme  jour  qu'en  autres 
estrangeres  de  ce  royaume  a  cause  des  troubles  de  la  France  et  pour  prier  le 
Seigneur  de  conserver  son  Eglise  a  I'encontre  de  touts  les  attentats  des  enne- 
mis  de  sa  verite'."  The  next  two  entries  relate  to  the  atfairs  of  the  Nether- 
lands, notably  "less  troubles  qui  incommodent  les  Eglises  des  Provinces 
Unies."  These  "troubles"  are  more  pointedly  alluded  to  in  the  57th  fast,  as 
follows*  "Le  28  de  Septembre,  \('>'10.  Le  jusne  fut  encor  celebre'  en  ceste 
Eglise  come  en  autres  Eglises  estrangeres  en  ce  Koyaume  en  consideration  du 
S^Tiode  de  divers  pays  qui  estoit  assemble  en  Holland  jjour  appaiser  les  trou- 
bles qui  incommodoyent  les  Eglises  des  Provinces  Unies." 

The  next  entry  principally  refers  to  events  in  France:  "Le  21  de  Juin, 
1621.  Le  jusne  fut  encor  celebre'  en  ceste  eglise  comme  en  autres  Eglises 
estrangeres  de  ce  Eoyaume  en  consideration  des  fascheux  traittements  qui 
sont  faicts  a  ceux  qui  font  profession  de  la  mesme  religion  que  nous  en  France 
et  ailleiu-s."  In  the  59th  and  60th  fiists  reference  is  made  to  the  afflictions  of 
the  Protestant  churches  in  Holland  and  in  the  German  Palatinate. 

The  next  entry,  of  the  61st  fast,  has  once  more  reference  to  the  plague: 
"Le  27  de  Juillet,  1625.  Ceste  Eglise  se  joignit  a  celebrer  le  jusne  pubhc 
avec  Teglise  Angloise  tons  les  Mercredis  selon  le  commandement  du  Koy  en 
consideration  de  la  peste  ayant  commence  a  Londres  et  menassant  tout  le 
royaume." 

The  entry  of  the  62d  fast  nms  :  "Le  second  jour  d'Aoust,  1626.  Ceste 
Eglise  se  joignit  encor  a  celebrer  le  jusne  publique  avec  I'Eglise  Angloise  selon 
le  commandement  du  Eoy  en  consideration  des  dangers  qui  menassent  ce 
royaume."  The  next  entry  has  relation  to  the  state  of  the  Continental  for- 
eign churches,  ' '  I'affliction  que  souffrent  les  Eglises  d'outre  mer. " 

The  deliberations  of  the  English  Parliament  are  referred  to  in  the  next 
fast,  the  64th,  as  follows  :  "  Le  21  d'Auril,  1628.  Ceste  Eglise  se  joingnit  a 
celebrer  le  jusne  publiq  avec  I'Eglise  Angloise  selon  le  commandement  du  Roy 
en  consideration  des  dangers  qui  menasent  ce  royaume  et  pour  prier  Dieu 
qu'il  face  reussir  a  bien  les  deliberations  du  Parlement  (pii  est  assemble."  A 
fast  to  the  same  effect  was  held  eleven  months  after.  The  entry  runs  :  "Le 
20  de  Mars,  1  {i29.  Ceste  Eglise  se  joignit  encore  avec  I'Eglise  Angloise  pour 
celebrer  mi  jusne  publique  par  le  commandement  du  Roy  a  mesme  considera- 
tion que  le  precedent." 

The  fresh  ajjpearance  of  the  j)lague  is  referred  to  in  the  next,  the  66th,  fast, 
held  after  an  inter\'al  of  thirty-six  years:  "Le  6  de  Decembre,  1665.  le 
jusne  fut  celebre  en  ceste  Eglise  noste  ville  estant  afflige'  de  la  peste  les  5 


FRENCH  CHURCH,  CANTERBURY.  383 

mois  passe  estant  mort  de  nostre  petitt  troupeau  viron  20  personnes  et  des 
Englais  800.  Le  Seigneur  voile  bien  Arrester  cette  vissitation  et  issy  et  ail- 
leiirs." 

The  next  entry  relates  to  the  gi-eat  fire  of  London.  It  is  as  follows  :  "  Le 
10  d'Octobre,  IGGC.  Le  jusne  fut  celebre'  en  ceste  Eglize  par  le  commande- 
ment  du  Roy  come  aussy  en  toiites  les  Eglizes  Engloizes  pour  prier  le  Seign- 
eur d'appaiser  son  Ire  et  rester  ses  jugemens  maintenant  repandu  sur  ce  Roy- 
aume  la  ville  (capitale)  de  Londres  estant  la  plus  grande  partie  consume  par 
le  feu." 

In  the  G8th  ftist  (Jime  19th,  1(307),  the  last  of  the  regular  entries,  prayers 
are  offered  for  "notre  roi  et  sa  gloire,"  the  occasion  being  "Monsieur  Cou- 
raud  notre  Pasteui'  nous  y  ayant  puissamment  exhortez  ])ar  ses  predications." 

After  this  fast  the  numbered  entries  cease ;  but  there  is  a  short  appendix 
on  the  following  page  referring  to  two  more  "  jeusnes"  held  on  the  16th  of 
IJecember,  1720,  and  the  8th  of  Lecember,  1721.  Both  took  place,  it  is 
stated,  "par  ordre  de  sa  majeste'  et  de  monseignem-  notre  evesque,"  the 
prayers  being  directed  "pour  jjreserver  le  royaume  de  la  guerre." 

At  the  end  of  the  book,  forming  the  conclusion  of  the  records  of  the  South- 
ampton "  God's  House,"  are  five  entries,  headed  "  Li\Te  pour  les  aferres  sur- 
venates  en  ceste  Eglise."  The  entries  chiefly  relate  to  the  collection  of  cer- 
tain funds  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  the  ]>oorer  members  of  the 
church.  It  was  resolved,  on  the  llJth  of  July,  laS-i,  that  "  de  trois  mois  en 
trois  mois  les  anciens  et  diacres  iront  de  maison  en  maison  pour  recuiller  les 
deniers  que  chacun  voudra  doner."  It  appears  from  several  of  these  entries 
that  general  assemblies  were  held,  at  stated  times,  of  the  heads  of  families,  or 
"chefs  de  famille,"  of  the  French  Protestant  churches  of  Jersey,  Guernsey, 
Alderney,  and  Sark,  united  with  the  congregation  of  "  God's  House."  Among 
the  names  which  most  frequently  occur  in  the  register.  v,q  observe  those  of 
Guillamnott,  Page,  Baillehache,  Barnouin,  Cupin,  Mariette,  Teulin,  Bauc- 
quart,  LeVasseur,  Le  Febure,  Vincent,  De  la  Motte,  Prevost,  Sequin,  Dui'ant, 
Hen'ieu,  De  Lean,  De  la  Place,  Sauvage,  Durand,  Duval,  and  Dupre'. 

French  Protestant  or  Walloon  Church,  Canterbury. 

These  registers  form  nine  volumes,  or  ten  parts.  The  first  two  parts, 
boimd  in  one  volume — a  long,  thin,  narrow  octavo,  the  paper  yellow  with  age, 
and  the  ink  of  rusty  red — contains  entries  of  baptisms,  marriages,  and  deaths 
from  the  year  1583  to  1630.  There  are  evidently  many  leaves  wanting,  par- 
ticularly in  the  earlier  portion.     The  entries  commence,  in  May,  laSS,  with 

"  Le  5  fut  celebre'  le  man-iage  de  Herbert (family  name  illegible)  a 

MaiTie  Du  Mourrier."  There  are  six  marriages  entered  in  May,  1583  ;  four 
in  June,  four  in  July,  two  in  August,  none  in  September,  four  in  October,  one 
in  November,  and  two  in  December.  Nine  more  marriages  are  entered  from 
January  to  June,  1584  ;  then  these  cease,  and  entries  of  baptisms  commence 
— the  first  under  date  of  October,  1583,  as  follows  :  "  Le  8  fut  baptise  I'en- 
fant  de  Antoine  Du  Bois  appelle  Jay,"  followed  by  the  names  of  the  godfa- 
thers and  godmothers.  There  are  twenty-one  entries  of  births  from  October 
8  to  the  end  of  the  year  1583,  and  twenty-three  from  the  5th  of  Januaiy  to 
the  5th  of  October,  158-1,  when  they  come  to  an  end. 


384  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

After  two  blank  leaves,  there  now  come  entries  of  deaths,  beginning  Avith 
the  year  ir.,s],  as  follows  :   "  Le  27*^  de  Juin  moiuiit  I\Iay  Diiloiir,  femme  de 

"  (name  illegible).     There  are  forty-one  death-entries  in  1581,  but 

most  of  them  e\'idently  made  some  time  after  the  event  occurred,  less  than  a 
line  being  given  to  each,  and  the  whole  in  a  sort  of  tabulated  form.  Bap- 
tisms, marriages,  and  deaths,  in  very  irregular  order,  fill  up  the  rest  of  the 
first  volume.  There  are  no  features  worth  noticing,  save  the  genend  foct 
that  the  names  are  chiefiy  Hebrew,  such  as  Abraham,  Daniel,  and  Mary ;  but 
a  very  large  jiroportion  of  the  girls  have  the  name  l-'lizabeth  given  to  them 
in  baptism,  doubtless  after  that  of  the  English  queen. 

The  second  volume  commences  with  the  year  1030,  and  ends  witli  171"). 
The  entries  are  all  of  deaths.  The  volume  is  m  a  most  dilajndateil  state,  the 
jiaper  dark  brown  with  age,  the  ink  deep  red,  and  many  of  the  leaves  moth- 
eaten  and  half-torn.  A  great  many  Dutch  names  occur  in  this  volume,  and 
there  are  frequent  entries  of  the  foct  of  a  gravestone  having  been  made  for  the 
deceased.  The  following  is  a  specimen  :  ' '  Jean  Jacob  Vanderfleet,  Docteur 
en  IVIedecine,  mourut  le  3''  jour  de  Feburier,  1 03^  en  Londres,  apres  avoir 
este  taille  de  la  pierre."  Many  names  are  entered  of  persons  dying  at  distant 
places  in  England  and  France,  and  even  in  the  West  Indies.  The  entries  are 
■very  irregular ;  often  a  hundred  seem  to  have  been  made  at  the  same  time, 
in  a  tabidated  form. 

A  curious  entry,  throwing  considerable  light  upon  these  irregidarities,  oc- 
curs in  1G49.  After  "  Le  (5'=  Auril,  104'.),  mounit  Charle  Re'noit,"  are  four 
lines  as  follows  :  "  Les  jours  de  incroyable  troubles  advenu  par  rouiade  e  sa 
faction  en  la  rupture  c  descirement  de  I'eglise  le  Registre  este  quelque  temjis 
dilaiex  a  este  redraisse  le  mieux  la  memoire  la  pen  porter."  The  death-en- 
tries after  these  words  sum  up  the  years  1(U"j-'.I:  they  are  very  short  and 
clearly  imperfect ;  the  name  Pouiade  is  not  any  where  to  be  met  with. 

The  internal  disturbances  of  the  church  ajjpear  to  have  continued  till  171"), 
for  the  lists  are  not  only  most  irregidar,  but  seemingly  made  by  an  inexperi- 
enced hand.  The  last  entiy  in  vol.  ii.  runs:  "  Le  27'^  October,  1715,  mou- 
rout  Habraham  llibau,  agie  de  57."  The  Hebrew  names  of  baptism  cease 
to  a  great  extent  in  this  volume,  Jean  and  Jacques  being  the  most  com- 
mon. 

The  third  volume  of  the  Canterbury  records  is  the  first  that  is  tolerably 
perfect.  It  contains  both  baptisms  and  marriages.  The  fly-leaf  on  the  front 
is  inscribed  "  Livre  des  Eaptesmes  de  I'egUse  Valone  de  Cantorbery  depuis  le 
XXIIII.  de  Juillet,  1590,  jusquau  15''  de  Mars,  1G02."'  The  following  is  the 
first  entrj-  of  baptism :  "  Susanne  fille  de  Daniel  Veron  fust  presentee  an 
Baptisme  ayant  pour  tesmoings  Josse  des  Rousseaux  et  Joseph  de  Sevart, 
item  Anne  femme  de  Loys  Theuclin  et  Pasquette  femme  de  Michel  Aman." 
All  the  other  entries  are  similar,  but  the  names  of  witnesses  are  not  always 
given.  At  the  end  of  the  year  1592  is  the  following  entry  :  "  Ce  sont  ceux 
tjui  ont  este  par  le  St.  Baptesme  mise  en  I'Aliance  de  Dieu  en  I'Eglise  de  Can- 
torbeiy  en  I'An  1592." 

The  number  of  children  entered  as  baptized  in  1591  is  119;  while  in  the 
following  year,  15!)2,  it  amounts  to  148;  in  1593,  to  141  ;  in  1594,  to  132; 
in  1595.  to  130  ;  in  159G,  to  107 ;  in  1597,  to  91  ;  in  1598,  to  72 ;  in  1599, 


FRENCH  CHURCH,  CANTERBURY.  385 

to  exactly  100  ;  in  1600,  to  106  ;  in  1601,  to  Q,^  ;  and  in  1602,  to  only  22,  as 
far  as  the  15th  of  April.     Here  the  entries  of  births  cease. 

The  entries  of  marriages,  at  the  other  side  of  the  volume,  appear  less  com- 
plete than  those  of  baptism.  There  are  27  marriages  entered  in  1591  ;  36  in 
151)2  ;  29  in  1593  ;  39  in  1594  ,  25  in  1595  ;  31  in  1596  ;  19  in  1597  ;  25  in 
1598;  22  in  1599;  18  in  1600;  15  in  1601  ;  and  only  4  in  the  first  four 
months  of  1602 — on  January  24,  February  14,  March  14,  and  April  12.  Here 
the  entries  of  the  third  volume  cease,  a  blank  page  being  left  in  the  middle  of 
the  book  between  the  baptisms  and  marriages. 

Neither  the  baptismal  nor  the  marriage  entries  of  this  volume  contain  any 
thing  specially  noteworthy  beyond  the  fact  that  the  settlers  mostly  intermar- 
ried. The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  marriage-entries:  "Andrea  Du 
Forest  filz  de  Roger  natif  de  Conty  en  Picardie  et  Marie  Huchon  fille  de 
Adam  natif  de  Armentieres."  There  are  an  extraordinary  number  of  wid- 
ows ;  in  some  years  they  form  nearly  one  third  of  the  whole  entered  in  the 
marriage-lists.     Widowers  also  are  numerous. 

The  fourth  volume  of  the  Cantei'buiy  records  is  similar  in  arrangement  to 
the  third,  the  baptisms  being  entered  on  one  side  and  the  marriages  on  the' 
other.  There  are  no  deaths  either  in  this  or  the  preceding  volume.  The 
entries  of  baptisms  commence  on  the  18th  of  April,  1602,  and  end  December 
30,  1621.  There  are  40  baptisms  entered  in  (the  8 J-  months  of)  1602  ;  77  in 
1603  ;  65  in  1604  ;  66  in  1605 ;  81  in  1606  ;  82  in  1607  ;  69  in  1608  ;  59  in 
1609  ;  69  in  1610  ;  65  in  1611  ;  63  in  1612  ;  58  in  1613  ;  63  in  1614  ;  69  in 
1615;  56  in  1616;  61  in  1617;  and  59  in  1618.  Diu'ing  the  next  three 
years  the  entries  are  very  confused,  large  numbers  being  e^'idently  made  at 
the  same  time. 

The  marriage-entries,  on  the  other  side  of  the  book,  run  from  1602  to  1620, 
and  average  about  21a  year.  Most  of  the  women  of  this  ])eriod  entered  as 
married  seem  to  have  been  of  the  second  generation  of  settlers,  "natif  de 
Cantorbery."  The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  form  of  most  of  the  mar- 
riage-entries :  "  Le  5  de  Am'il  Kicolas  de  t^entluns  filz  de  feu  Estienne  natif 
da  Cambray  et  Anthoinette  de  Kaux,  fille  de  Jacques  natife  de  Cantorbery." 
It  appears  there  were  also,  now  and  then,  marriages  of  daughters  of  the  set- 
tlement \\\t\\  Englishmen;  two  occur  in  June,  1608,  of  George  Lowe  with 
Marie  C'olee,  and  John  Chandler  with  Judith  Rousset,  both  marked  as 
"maries  entre  les  Anglais."  Unions  where  the  bride  is  English  are  very 
rare.  One  specially  marked  as  such  is  "  Jehan  Parmentier  veuf  et  une  An- 
glaise  Jane  Bachelar  venfe  de  feu  Regnant  natif  de  Cantorbeiy." 

The  fifth  volume,  similar  in  arrangement  to  the  preceding,  contains  bap- 
tisms and  marriages  from  1622  to  1644.  There  are  56  entries  of  baptisms  in 
1622  ;  50  in  1623  ;  54  in  1624  ;  72  in  1625  ;  72  in  1626  ;  81  in  1627  ;  98  in 
1628;  81  in  1629;  110  in  1630;  100  in  1631  ;  101  in  1632;  124  in  1633; 
85  in  1634 ;  and  75  in  1635.  For  the  remaining  years,  till  1644,  the  entries 
of  baptisms  are  somewhat  irregular,  averaging  from  70  to  80  per  annum.. 
The  marriages  entered  during  the  period  1622  to  1644  average  about  23  per 
annum.  There  is  scarcely  any  influx  of  strangers  visiljle  during  the  period, 
both  bride  and  bridegi'oom  being  set  down,  in  nearly  all  cases,  as  "  natifs  de 
Cantorberj\"     The  forms  of  entry  are  preciselv  the  same  as  those  in  vol.  iv. 

Bb 


386  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Notes  of  any  other  kind  are  not  to  be  found,  nor  any  features  of  special  in- 
terest. 

The  sixth  volume — a  thick  8vo  of  above  400  pages — is  almost  entirely  filled 
with  entries  of  baptisms,  there  being  only  nine  pages  devoted  to  marriages  at 
the  end  of  the  book — reversed.  The  baptisms  extend  from  104-1  to  1704,  and 
the  marriages — most  incomplete  and  fragmentary— from  1(!44  to  U)G(!,  with 
four  more  in  1G72,  73,  74,  and  75.  Eotli  baptisms  and  marriages  were  evi- 
dently entered  long  after  the  actual  event,  by  the  hundred.  The  baptisms, 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  jjeriod,  do  not  average  more  than  ."A)  per  annum, 
and  for  many  years  they  are  considerably  less,  though  the  evident  imperfec- 
tion of  the  entries  leaves  little  room  for  calculation.  There  are  no  entries  of 
any  particular  interest.  Many  of  them  are  by  an  illiterate  hand,  and  a  few 
seem  to  be  made  by  a  boy  or  girl,  intermixed  with  scrawls  and  various  orna- 
ments. English  names  are  becoming  very  numerous,  and  frequently  the 
names  are  given  double,  in  French  and  English,  as  "  Le  Munier  or  Miller." 
This  is  repeated  several  times,  till,  in  the  end,  an  entry  runs  simply  "  Miller," 
and  another  "  Mellor."  Of  the  baptisms  registered  in  lG7r>  there  are  34  boys 
and  34  girls;  about  one  half  the  boys  have  the  names  "Jean,"  "Jacques," 
or  "  Pierre ;"  whde  more  than  one  third  of  the  girls  are  called  "  Marie." 

At  the  end  of  the  year  1  (;83  the  registrar  of  baptisms  signs  his  name  for 
the  first  time  :  "  Enregistre'  Abraham  Didier."  The  entries  of  this  year  ap- 
pear very  complete  ;  there  are  4G  boys  and  31  girls.  The  few  pages  of  mar- 
riages show  that  the  immigration  from  other  parts  into  the  colony  had  nearly 
ceased  at  this  period  ;  almost  the  whole  of  the  brides,  as  well  as  bridegrooms, 
are  entered  as  "natifs  de  Canterbvny. "  There  are  no  entries  of  special  in- 
terest. 

The  seventh  volume  consists  of  a  number  of  loose  leaves,  not  stitched  to- 
gether, or  fostened  in  any  way,  but  merely  stuck  into  a  leather  case.  The 
leaves,  not  quite  200,  contain  only  entries  of  marriages  and  of  banns  of  mar- 
riage, ranging  from  1()44  to  1704.  Most  of  the  leaves  have  suffered  gi-eatly 
from  the  ravages  of  time,  but  the  entries  are  in  a  remarkabl}-  fine  handwriting. 
The  form  is  throughout  as  follows  :  "  Le  IG'  Avril"  (year  not  given),  "Jacques 
Villers,  fils  d'Arnoidd,  natif  de  Cantorbery  et  IMarie  Ferre  fille  de  Vincent, 
native  de  Cantorbeiy."  The  banns  run  :  "  II  y  a  promesse  de  mariage  entre 
Gedeon  Despaigne  fils  de  Jean  natif  de  Canterbury,  et  Marie  Le  Leu  fille  de 
feu  Jean  natife  de  Canterbury."  Often  there  are  three  strokes  (either  iii  or 
•fj-  or  ^)  against  the  entry  of  the  l)anns,  to  denote  that  they  have  been  pro- 
claimed three  times,  in  which  cases  an  appendix  is  not  uncommon,  such  as 
"  lis  ont  este  marie  en  I'eglise  Wallonne  de  Cantorbery  le  7"  du  December." 

Owing  to  the  scattered  condition  of  the  leaves — not  chronologically  ar- 
ranged— it  is  impossible  to  say  over  what  years  the  entries  in  this  volume  ex- 
tend ;  from  various  dates,  here  and  there,  the  period  1  (!44  to  1 704  seems 
probable,  making  it  appear  that  tliis  was  a  sujiplementary  volume  to  the  one 
previously  noticed.     Entries  of  s])ecial  interest  are  wanting. 

The  eighth  volimie  is  a  stout  folio,  not  half  filled,  bound  in  thick  parchment 
and  well  presen-ed.  It  contains  only  entries  of  bajitisms  ranging  from  1 704 
to  1837.  The  number  of  entries  for  the  first  fifteen  years  average  about  30, 
but  they  gradually  dwindle  down  until  they  cease  with  the  family  of  INlonsieui 


MALT-HOUSE  CHAPEL,  CANTERBURY.  387 

Miette,  pastor  of  the  "Walloon  Chiirch,"  who  appears  as  the  last  procreative 
member  of  the  colony. 

On  the  inside  of  the  cover  of  this  volume  are  some  references  to  books  re- 
lating to  the  settlement.  They  are  :  ' '  The  Underci-oft  of  Canterbury  Cathe- 
dral given  to  the  Walloons,  1568  ;  see  Kentish  Companion,  1787 — to  18  fam- 
ilies of  Walloons  by  2  Eliz.  ;  see  Dimconibe  descrip.  Cath.  56,  and  pag.  5th  ; 
under  the  choir  is  a  spacious  church  granted  in  the  time  of  2  Eliz.  to  18  fiim- 
ilies  of  French  refugees,  and  used  by  their  descendants  ever  since.  Commit- 
tee or  Royal  Boimty  first  granted  to  the  French  refugees  1695  ;  see  Tindalfs 
contin.  Rajnn,  page  258  n.,  edit,  octavo." 

,  The  ninth  and  last  volume  of  the  Canterbury  Records  is  a  small  and  very 
thin  quarto,  •^vith  four  pages  of  marriage-entries  on  the  one  side,  and  eight 
pages  of  banns  on  the  other.  They  extend  over  the  time  1710  to  17-17,  and 
are  exceedingly  imperfect.  There  are  no  man-iages  entered  between  1 720  and 
1736,  which  is  the  last  in  the  list.  The  banns  go  to  1747.  There  are  no  en- 
tries of  any  interest  in  this  little  voliune.  Against  the  fly-leaf  of  the  third 
volume  of  the  Canterbury  Registers  is  pasted  the  following  "Certificate:" 

' '  The  annexed  or  accompanying  books  are  the  original  Register-books  of 
maniages  and  baptisms  which  have  been  kept  for  the  Chapel  or  Meeting-house 
called  the  Walloon  Congregation  or  French  Protestant  Church,  situate  in  the 
Undercroft  of  Canterbury  Cathedral,  in  the  county  of  Kent,  founded  about 
the  year  1568.  The  books  have  been  from  time  to  time  in  the  custody  of  the 
scribe  of  the  Elders,  for  the  time  being,  of  the  Congregation,  and  are  sent  to 
the  commissioners  from  the  immediate  custody  of  the  minister  of  the  said 
church  in  the  Undercroft  of  said  Cathedral,  who  has  kept  them  since  1 834  as 
minister  of  the  Congregation.  Signed  the  12th  of  Sept.,  1837.  J.  F.  MieVille, 
minister;  Chas.  N.  Miette,  elder ;  M.  T.  Miette,  deacon." 

Malt-House  Chapel,  Canterbury. 

These  registers,  which  are  in  a  large,  thin  folio  of  about  thirty  pages,  are 
described  in  the  official  " cei'tificate"  annexed  to  the  book  as  follows  :  "The 
original  Register-book  of  marriages  and  baptisms  of  the  Conformist  French 
Chapel,  commonly  called  the  '  Malt-House, '  being  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
denomination,  situate  in  the  precincts  of  Canterbuiy  Cathedral,  in  the  county 
of  Kent,  founded  about  the  year  .  .  .  ( 1 709),  and  now  dissolved.  The  book 
has  been  from  time  to  time  in  the  custody  of  the  scribe  for  the  time  being, 
and  is  sent  to  the  commissioners  from  the  same  persons  who  held  the  regis- 
ters of  the  Walloon  Congi-egation  of  the  Cathedi'al  Undercroft,  in  the  city  of 
Canterbury,  who  kept  it  since  1817.  Signed  the  12th  of  September,  1837. 
J.  F.  Mie'ville,  minister ;  Charles  N.  Miette,  elder. " 

There  are  not  more  than  thirty  entries  of  bajjtisms  and  maiTiages  in  this 
book,  the  greater  part  of  w^hich  is  filled  with  matters  relating  to  the  discipline 
and  government  of  the  congregration.  It  appears  from  one  of  the  first  of 
these  notices  that  the  "Malt-House"  dissenters  formed  themselves  into  a  con- 
gregation in  October,  1 709,  Avhen  forty-eight  men  and  twelve  women  signed 
a  public  declaration,  expressing  their  "  unfeigned  assent  and  consent  to  all  and 
eveiy  thing  contained  and  prescribed  in  and  by  the  Book  entitled  ye  Book  of 
Common  Frayer  and  Administration  of  ye  Sacraments  and  other  Rites  and 


38b  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Ceremonies  of  ye  Church  of  England."  The  leading  men  of  this  congrega- 
tion, who  were  chosen  "Anciens,"or  elders,  on  its  formation,  appear  to  have 
been  Jean  de  Cleve,  Abraham  de  la  Neiive  Maison,  Jean  de  Lon,  Gabriel 
Pain,  and  Paschal  Lardean.  The  notices  inaiiiediutely  following  sliow  that 
hot  quarrels  broke  out  at  once  between  the  members  of  tlie  '•^^'alloon 
Church"  and  the  worshipers  at  the  "Malt- House,"  chiefly  on  account  of  a 
sum  of  "one  hundred  and  fourscore  pounds,"  assigned  from  a  charitable 
fund  in  London  to  the  Canterbury  refugees,  and  of  which  the  new  society 
claimed  a  fair  share  for  its  own  poor.  The  dispute  about  this  money  was 
can-ied  on  with  much  bitterness,  but  how  it  ended  is  not  stated.  The  first 
minister  elected  by  the  "Malt-House"  congregation  was  PieiTC  Richard,  who 
certilies,  imder  date  of  July  30,  1710,  that  he  has  received  the  sum  of  fifty 
shillings  from  Monsieur  de  Cleve,  as  his  monthly  salary,  declaring  himself 
"fort  content  et  satisfait."  Pien-e  Richard  left  his  charge  soon  after,  and  in 
September,  1710,  Jean  Lardeau  Mas  chosen  minister,  with  no  fixed  pay,  but 
on  the  understanding  "  qu'il  jouira  des  benefices  et  priviledges  de  ceste 
Eglise."  "Whatever  the  privileges  consisted  of,  the  benefices  probably  were 
very  small,  for  Jean  Lardeau  too  quitted  his  post  at  the  end  of  a  fe^\'  months, 
and  after  him  came  a  cpiick  succession  of  other  pastors.  Under  date  of  Jan- 
uary 25,  1713,  there  is  an  entiy  stating  that  the  ministers  and  elders  have 
leaiTit  "avec  douleur  et  un  sensible  deplaisir,"  of  there  being  "une  diminu- 
tion considerable  des  deniers  qui  se  recuillent  a  la  porte  de  ceste  Eghse;" 
and  they  exhort  the  members  of  the  congregation  to  come  forward  more  free- 
ly with  their  money,  each  "selon  les  moyens  qu'il  plaist  a  Dieu  de  lui  four- 
nir."  The  appeal  seems  to  have  had  little  effect,  as  far  as  can  be  judged 
from  the  next  entries,  which  show  a  decline  in  the  number  of  memljcrs.  In 
171G,  PieiTe  le  Sueur  was  chosen  minister,  succeeding  Jean  Chaqientier,  and 
retained  his  charge  till  1 74-1,  when  the  entries  cease.  Pierre  le  Sueur  made 
sevenil  conversions,  which  are  noticed  at  great  length ;  and  baptized  sixty- 
three  chikb-cn  during  the  tei-m  of  his  ministiy,  or  about  two  per  annum. 
There  is  onl}^  one  man-iage-entry  in  the  book.  In  very  few  of  the  entries  of 
baptism  is  the  oi-igin  of  the  parents  given ;  but  it  appears,  from  tlie  names 
which  occur,  that  natives  of  France  were  most  numerously  represented  in  the 
congregation.  This  is  farther  shomi  in  some  of  the  notices,  where  the  mem- 
bers of  the  old  French  chm'ch  are  referred  to  somewhat  conteminuously  as 
"  Walloons."  Among  the  names  entered  most  frequently  are  Sequin,  Teve- 
lin,  Blanchard,  De  I'Estang,  Bore,  Le  Due,  Ricard,  and  Le  Sueur.  The 
name  Layard  occurs  once  in  this  entry:  "Susanne  Fran^oise  de  I'Estang, 
fiUe  de  Monsieur  Louis  de  I'Estang  a  cte'  batise'e  le  30  de  Sept.,  1 728,  et  a  eu 
pour  parrain  Monsieur  Pierre  Layard  et  pom*  marraine  mademoiselle  Fran- 
90166  de  St.  Paul." 

Walloon  Church,  Noricich. 

The  registers  of  this  church  are  in  one  ■\-olume,  described  as  follows  in  the 
official  " certificate"  ])asted  against  the  fly-leaf:  "The  annexed  book  is  the 
origiral  Register-book  of  baj)tisms  and  nuirriages  wiiich  has  been  kept  for  the 
church  or  ihajjel  called  the  French  or  Walloon  Church,  being  of  the  French 
Protestant  denomination,  situated  in  the  city  of  Norwich,  founded  about  the 


WALLOON  CHURCH,  NORWICH.  389 

year  1  "iDO,  and  now  dissolved,  and  so  declared  by  decree  of  the  Court  of  Chan- 
cery in  a  suit  of  Attorney  General  r.  Columbine  in  183G.  The  book  sent  has 
been  from  time  to  time  in  the  custody  of  the  minister  or  deacons  for  the  time 
being  of  the  congregation,  and  is  sent  to  the  commissioners  from  the  imme- 
diate custody  of  Edgar  Tayler,  of  Bedford  Row,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex, 
who  has  kept  it  since  ISo-t,  as  solicitor  to  Mr.  Henr}^  Martineau,  the  last 
deacon,  from  whom  he  received  it  for  production  in  the  said  suit.  Signed  the 
21st  day  of  June,  1837.     Edgar  Tayler,  solicitor." 

The  book,  a  long  narrow  folio,  about  five  inches  broad  and  rather  more 
than  an  inch  thick,  is  tolerably  well  preserved,  with  the  exception  of  the  first 
twenty  pages,  which  are  worm-eaten,  torn,  and  illegible.  The  heading  of  the 
first  page  is  "  Baptesmes  en  I'Eglise  Wallonne  de  Norwich  depuis  le  22  Juin, 
1595."  Under  date  of  June  29,  1595,  is  the  first  legible  entry  :  "  Victor  du 
Bois  presente  un  enfiins  pour  estre  bapthisc  et  le  nom  de  lenfan  sapellera  Eliz- 
abeth." The  next  entry  vchich  can  be  decijjhered  nms :  "Le  20  de  Julet, 
1595.  Saint  nous  soit  donne  de  par  nostre  Seigneur  Jesus  Christ.  Moy 
Eournille  Terrien  et  ma  femme  presente  mon  enfant  pour  estre  baptiser  en 
I'eglise  de  Dieu  et  donnons  le  nom  David,  et  pour  tesmoin  Philippe  Ten-ien 
mon  frere  et  Guillame  De  Bonne  et  pour  marine  Ratelinne  Gate  et  Jenue  De 
Bonne.  Dieu  en  fasse  son  serviteur."  The  same  fonnula,  %vith  slight  varia- 
tions, continues  throughout  the  whole  of  the  entries  of  baptism. 

There  are  fifty-five  entries  in  the  year  1595,  commencing  at  the  end  of 
June ;  sixty-nine  in  159G  ;  and  thirty-three  in  1597.  The  chronological  order 
is  very  imperfectly  kept  m  these  and  all  the  following  entries,  and  the  whole 
registiy  seems  incom]ilete.  In  scarcely  any  instance  is  the  place  of  origin  or 
nationality  of  the  parents  mentioned ;  but  the  names  appear  to  be  about  one 
half  Flemish  and  the  other  half  French,  with  a  tendency,  in  both  cases,  to 
Anglicize  them. 

The  average  number  of  baptisms  during  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth 
century  is  thirty  ])er  annum ;  hut  after  this  period  they  rapidly  decline,  till, 
at  the  end  of  another  fifty  years,  they  amount  to  but  one  or  two  per  annimi. 
In  1700  there  are  three  baptisms  entered ;  three  again  in  1701,  two  in  1702, 
three  in  1703,  two  in  1704,  and  less  than  one  for  the  average  of  the  next  five- 
and-twenty  years. 

In  November,  1095,  occurs  for  the  first  time  the  name  Martineau,  in  the 
baptism  of  a  son  of  "Gaston  Martineau,"  also  called  Gaston,  with  David  le 
Monnier  for  godfather.  Gaston  Martineau  has  another  son,  named  Guil- 
laume,  baptized  in  October,  1 700,  with  Anne  Paon  for  witness ;  and  a  third 
son,  to  whom  the  name  Elie  is  given,  in  April,  1707.  At  this  last  baptism 
there  is  entered  as  godfother  "  M.  Baldy,  ministre  de  ceste  eglise." 

The  latter  name  reoccurs  in  the  next  entry,  which  is  of  unusual  length.  It 
nms:  "Samedy  matin  27  ]\Iars,  1708,  a  trois  quart  d'heure  apres  minuit, 
ou  environ,  Dieu  a  done  une  enfant  a  David  Baldy  ministre,  elle  a  este  pre- 
sente an  baptesme  le  dimanclie  suivant  28  dito  dans  I'eglise  Waloone  par 
Jude  Have',  parrin,  et  Elysabet  de  Sauvage,  marrine.  La  nom  de  I'enfant  est 
Marie." 

Gaston  Martineau  figures  again  as  father  of  a  daughter,  named  Marguerite, 
in  August,  1711,  the  godfather  and  godmother  being  "Gaston  Martineau  le 


390  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Jeune  et  Marie  Martineau  aussy  la  Jeune."  There  are  forty-one  more  bap- 
tisms entered  from  this  date  till  the  year  1 752,  when  the  register  comes  to  an 
end. 

The  same  names  reoccur  constantly  in  this  list  :  Lecoiiie,  Barbe,  Colom- 
bine,  Pigney,  and  Le  Monnier  or  Miller.  The  final  entry  is  "  Pierre  Le 
Monier,  anglice  Miller,  fils  de  Pierre  le  Monier  et  de  Marie  Steward,  nacquit 
a  Norwich  le  21  Juin,  1752,  et  fut  baptise  le  30  du  meine  mois.  II  a  eu 
pour  parein  son  pere  et  sa  mere  pour  meraine." 

At  the  end  of  the  register-book  of  the  Norwich  "Walloon  Churcli'  there 
is  a  list  of  marriages,  filling  eight  pages,  and  extending  from  October,  1599, 
to  May,  1611.  The  total  number  of  marriages  entered  is  ninety-five.  Most 
of  the  notices  are  very  short,  merely  stating  the  name  of  bridegroom  and 
bride,  though  in  some  of  the  earlier  ones  the  place  of  origin  is  given.  In 
nearly  every  instance  the  places  mentioned  are  in  French  Flanders — Valen- 
ciennes, Tournay,  and  Lisle  occurring  most  frequently.  There  are  no  entries 
of  any  special  interest. 

Against  the  fly-leaf  at  the  end  of  tlie  book  is  pasted  a  sheet  of  paper,  giv- 
ing, as  stated  in  the  heading,  "Copies  of  Inscriptions  on  the  Monuments  and 
Tombstones  in  the  French  Church,  Norwich,  arranged  in  order  of  date." 
There  are  thirty  altogether,  as  follows : 
Dates  of  Death.  Names,  Ages,  and  luscriptions. 

1729.  May  29.  David  Martineau,  at.  32.  Artis  chirurgite  perftissimi  qui 
vitam  suis  percaram  quam  plurimis  proficientem  at  pre- 
mature deposuit. 
1759.  July  20.  Kervin  Wright,  aged  55  years.  An  eminent  physician  in 
this  city,  son  of  the  Rev.  Kervin  Wright,  of  Debenham, 
Suff"olk! 

1765.  Mary  Colombine,  an  infant. 

1766.  April  22.  Richard  Willement,  aged  52. 
1766.  Peter  Colombine,  aged  6. 

1768.  Nov.  19.  David  Martineau,  aged  42  years.  He  was  eminently  distin- 
guished as  a  surgeon,  as  a  man  of  most  amiable  manners, 
and  as  tlie  best  of  fatliers. 

1768.  Nov.  28.  John  Hilyard,  aged  17. 

1769.  Oct.  18.  Richard  Willement,  aged  25. 

1770.  Dec.  11.   Peter  Colombine,  aged  73. 

1776.  July  22.  Ann,  wife  of  John  Hilyard,  aged  56. 

1779.  Feb.  3.  Esther,  wife  of  Paul  Colombine,  and  eldest  daughter  of  Sim- 

eon Waller.  A  woman  of  singular  merit  and  ingenuity, 
who  lived  with  her  husband  near  fifty  years  in  perfect  har- 
mony and  affection. 

1780.  May  6.  Mary,  wife  of  Peter  Colombine,  aged  86. 

1783.  March  27.   John  Hilyard,  aged  59. 

1784.  Aug.  30.  Paul  Colombine,  aged   85.      Descended  from    an    ancient 

family  in  the  province  of  Dauphiny,  in  France,  from 
whence  his  father,  a  man  of  jiiety,  ]irol)ity,  and  learning, 
withdrew  at  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  ;  and 
having  early  taken  a  degree  abroad,  practiced  physic  in 


FRENCH  CHURCH,  BRISTOL.  391 

this  city.     This,  his  youngest  son,  whose  temperance,  in- 
dustry, and  moderation,  through  a  long  and  blameless  life, 
had  merited  and  obtained  tlie  best  and  sweetest  of  human 
blessings — health,  competence,  and  content, 
17SS.  Dec.  7.  Catharine  Blomfield,  aged  86. 

1788.  Dec.  19.  Hewett  Hand,  aged  77. 

1789.  Jan.  14.  Mary,  wife  of  Hewett  Rand,  aged  62, 

1790.  March  U.   Hannah  Finch,  aged  86. 
1  790.   Sept.  8.  Mary  Miller,  aged  S3. 

1797.  Aug.  22.  Margaret,  relict  of  Richard  Willement,  aged  85. 

1-799.  Nov.  3.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Peter  Colombine,  aged  28. 

1 800.  Nov.  26.  Sarah,  wife  of  David  Martineau,  aged  74.  She  was  emi- 
nently distinguished  for  sound  judgment,  active  conduct, 
and  piety. 

1805.  E.G. 

1807.  Jan.  13.  Margaret  Villement,  aged  38. 

1810.  Oct.  29.  Peter  Colombine,  aged  73. 

1816.  Sept.  21.  Theodora,  wife  of  David  Colombine,  aged  73. 

1817.  Dec.  15.  Sarah,  daughter  of  David  Colombine,  aged  51, 
1819.  Nov.  2.   David  Colombine,  aged  86. 

1829.  Jan.  13.  Melea,  wife  of  Peter  Colombine,  aged  78. 
1829.  Jan.  30.  Melea  Colombine,  aged  48. 

The  above  list  is  certified  as  correct  by  John  W.  Dowson,  solicitor,  Nor- 
wich, under  date  of  January  13,  1838. 

French  CJiurch,  Bristol. 

The  registers  of  this  church,  in  three  volumes,  are  described  in  the  official 
**  certificate"  as  follows:  "The  accompanying  books  are  the  original  Register- 
books  which  have  been  kept  for  the  Chapel  called  the  French  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Chapel,  the  service  of  which  was  first  held  in  what  is  called  the  May- 
or's Chapel,  St.  Mark  the  Gaunt.  Ii\  1726  they  built  one  on  the  ground  of 
Queen  Elizabeth's  Hospital  for  the  Red  Maids.  The  books  sent  have  been 
from  time  to  time  in  tlie  custody  of  the  churchwardens  and  the  ministers, 
and  are  sent  to  the  commissioners  from  the  immediate  custody  of  Marienne 
de  Soyres,  who  has  kept  them  since  1791,  as  the  widow  of  the  Rev.  Francis 
de  Soyres,  the  last  of  said  congregation.  Signed  the  7th  of  March,  1838. 
M"^-  de  Soyres."  In  a  letter  accompanying  this  certificate,  also  signed  Mari- 
enne de  Soyres,  it  is  stated  tiiat  "  tlie  French  began  to  arrive  in  Bristol  in 
1687,  as  they  could  escape  from  France,  being  sorely  persecuted  and  forced 
til  attend  mass."  "Tliey  joined,"  Madame  de  Soyres  continues,  "those 
already  settled  here,  most  of  them  from  Nantes,  Saint-Onge,  Rochelle,  Poi- 
tou,  and  Guyenne  ;  some  of  the  very  old  people,  alive  when  I  came  to  Bristol, 
used  to  say  the  chapel  was  full  to  excess,  the  aisle  filled  with  benches  as  well 
as  altar;  so  there  must  have  been  several  hundreds.  In  1790,  when  we 
came,  the  congregation  never  amounted  to  more  than  sixty,  and  mostly  of 
people  fond  of  French,  or  those  wishing  to  improve Our  own  chil- 
dren, twelve  in  number,  were  all  b.iptized  in  the  parish  church  of  St.  Mi- 
chael's, .  ,  .  Neither  Mr.  de  Soyres  nor  self  belonged  to  the  Refuge  so-called. 


399  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Mr.de  Soyrcs  came  to  this  country  in  1783,  I  in  1786."  In  another  note 
Madame  de  Soyres  states  that  "not  a  remnant  is  left  of  the  numerous Frencli 
families  formerly  settled  in  Bristol." 

The  first  volume  of  the  Bristol  records,  a  folio  about  an  inch  thick,  con- 
tains entries  of  baptisms,  marriages,  and  burials,  extending  over  the  years 
1G87  to  1700.  All  the  entries  are  more  or  less  minute  in  their  details,  some 
of  them  filling  a  page  or  more,  and  the  whole  book  is  exceedingly  well  kept 
and  as  well  preserved.  Many  of  the  notices  are  full  of  interest,  as  giving  the 
origin,  occupation,  and  other  particulars  of  the  members  of  the  congregation. 
A  remarkably  large  number  of  them  are  described  as  "mariniers,"  ''capit- 
taine  de  navire,"  or  "maistre  de  navire,"  and  nearly  all  are  referred  to  as  na- 
tives of  the  southern  and  western  provinces  of  France,  the  neighborhood  of 
La  Rochelle  and  the  Isle  do  Rhe'  being  most  numerously  represented.  Next 
to  the  seamen,  the  trades  and  professions  chiefiy  occurring  are  "tisseran  en 
laine,"  "ouvrier  en  laine,"  "orfevre,"  "serrurier,"  "  tailleur  d'habit,"  "cor- 
dier,"  and  "chirurgien."  There  are  scarcely  any  noble  names,  and  the  whole 
of  the  adults  refeired  to  are  entered  as  belonging  to  some  profession  or  trade. 

The  second  volume  contains  entries  of  baptisms,  marriages,  and  burials, 
ranging  from  1701  to  1715.  The  notices  are  not  quite  as  full  as  those  of  the 
first  volume,  but  they  also  give,  in  most  instances,  the  origin  and  occupation 
of  the  persons  whose  names  occur.  Among  the  burial-entries  is  the  follow- 
ing: "Le  mardy  seizieme  Juin  mil  sept  cens  trois  a  este'  enterrc  dans  ceste 
Eglise  appelle'e  le  Gant,  Monsieur  Descairac,  iin  des  nos  ministres,  age  den- 
viron  soixanto  six  ans,  apres  avoir  exerce  le  saint  ministere  et  jireche  la  pure 
parole  de  Dieu  dans  cette  meme  Eglise  depuis  le  vingt  neuvieme  May  de 
I'annee  mil  six  cens  quatre  vingt  sept,  sans  interruption  jusqn'au  Dimanche 
avant  son  deces  qu'il  fut  ataque'  d'une  apoplexie  sur  la  chaire  en  prechant  sur 
les  paroles  du  livre  de  Josue,  chnp.  2-1,  parties  du  vers  15^,  en  ces  mots:  Chois- 
isses  vous  aujourdhuy  a  quy  vous  voulez  servir;  mais  quant  a  moy  et  a  ma 

raaison  nous  servirons  a  TEternel Le  corps  fut  conduit  a  I'Eglise 

par  tout  le  troupeau.  Tinel,  pastcur. "  Among  the  trades  that  most  fre- 
quently occur  are  "ouvrier  en  laine,"  "chapcllicr."  and  "marinier."  The 
entries  greatly  decrease  in  number  toward  tlic  end  of  the  volume,  and  many 
of  the  names  are  English  or  Anglicized. 

The  third  volume  contains  short  entries  of  baptisms,  marriages,  and  buri- 
als, from  1715  to  1807.  They  only  fill  twenty-eiglit  pages,  and  the  rest  of 
the  book  is  blank.  There  arc  but  three  entries  from  17G2  to  1807 — the  first 
in  17G2,  stating  the  birth  of  a  son  of  "  Pierre  Gautier,  ministre  do  la  chapel!e 
Franyois  ;"  the  second  of  May,  1791,  mentioning  the  death  of  the  same 
Pierre  Gautier;  and  the  third  of  February  15,  1807,  the  death  of  "Francois 
de  Soyres,  ministre." 

French  Church  of  Stonehouse,  Plymouth. 
The  registers  of  this  church  are  in  four  small  volumes,  described  as  follows 
in  the  official  "certificate"  pasted  against  the  cover  of  volume  the  first:  "The 
accompanying  books  are  the  original  Register-books  of  births  or  baptisms, 
marriages  and  burials,  which  liavc  been  kept  for  the  chapel  called  'li'Eglise 
franfoise  de  Stonehouse,'  in  the  county  of  Devon,  founded  about  tlie  year 


FRENCH  CHURCH  AT  STONEHOUSE.  393 

1092,  and  the  congregation  dissolved  in  the  year  1810.  The  books  sent  have 
been  from  time  to  time  in  the  custody  of  the  minister  for  liie  time  being,  and 
are  sent  to  the  commissioners  from  the  custody  of  the  incumbent  of  East 
Stonehonse,  who  has  kejit  them  since  the  year  1829;  Mr.  Dclacombe,  of 
Stonehouse,  trustee,  having  had  charge  of  them  in  the  interim.  Signed  the 
3d  of  November,  1840.     H.  A.  Greaves,  inc.  of  Stonehouse." 

The  first  vohime  contains  entries  of  birtlis,  marriages,  and  deaths  from 
1692  to  1720.  They  follow  eacii  other  irregularly;  the  baptisms  and  mar- 
riages are  always  signed  by  the  minister,  but  the  interspersed  notices  of  death 
are  seldom  thus  authenticated.  There  are  nine  entries  of  baptisms,  one  uf 
marriage,  and  three  of  deaths,  from  July  to  December,  1692,  and  the  same 
proportion  continues  throughout,  with  a  great  decline  toward  the  end.  It  is 
very  rarely  that  the  place  of  origin  is  given,  though,  from  the  names  and  oth- 
er indications,  it  appears  that  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  church  were  of 
French  descent.  An  entry,  under  date  of  October  10,  1G92,  runs  :  "Suzanne 
Godincau,  veuve,  dcccdee  le  jour  d'hier  a  este'  ce  jour  enterre  au  nouveau 
cimitiere  donne  pour  la  sepulture  dos  fran^ois  refugie's  en  ceste  ville  de 
Stonehouse." 

There  is  an  entry  of  extraordinary  length  under  date  of  September  13, 
1697,  stating  the  marriage  of  "  Guillaume  Henry  Aures,  Sieur  de  la  Combes, 
filz  naturel  et  legitime  de  feu  M.  Aures  et  damoiselle  Marie  de  Gout  natif  de 
Saint- Andre  de  Valborgne,  dans  le  Sevenes  en  France  et  apres  demeurant  a 
Plymouth,  d'une  part,  et  damoiselle  Louize  Tordeux  fille  legitime  et  naturelle 
de  feu  Charles  Tordenx  Sieur  de  Belle  Espinc  et  damoiselle  Anne  Blaize  na- 
tifue  de  Metz  en  Lorraine,  d'autre  part."  The  minister,  Charles  Delaconilie, 
in  this  entry  describes  himself  as  "ministre  de  I'Eglize  fran9oise  conformi>te 
de  Stonehouse." 

The  whole  of  the  entries,  from  October,  1697,  to  the  end  of  the  volume  in 
July,  1710,  arc  signed  "Etienne  Molenier,  nynistre,"  and  bear  evidence  of 
great  care,  in  the  minuteness  of  many  of  the  facts.  Between  the  baptisms, 
marriages,  and  deaths  are  various  notices  of  another  character,  such  as  "le 
18  Janvier,  169g.  Izaac  Videau  de  la  Trenblade  en  France  a  fait  recognois- 
sance  publicque  de  la  faute  qu"il  a  fait."  Another  notice,  following  soon 
after,  is  more  explicit.  It  runs:  "Le  30  Juillet,  1699,  Jean  Gruseiller  natif 
de  St.  George  de  Didonnc  a  fait  reconnoissance  publicque  de  la  faute  qu'il 
avoit  coraise  en  france  en  ayant  adhere  a  I'idolatrie  de  I'eglise  romenne,  par 
devant  nous  ministre  de  TEglisc  fran^oise  de  Stonhouse  le  jour  et  an  que 
dessus.  Molenier."  There  are  altogether  seven  of  these  notices,  the  last  in 
1701.  The  name  Dclacombe  reoccurs  constantly  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
volume. 

■  The  second  volume,  a  small  thin  quarto,  like  the  previous  one,  contains 
entries  of  baptisms  and  marriages  from  1720  to  1741.  In  nearly  all  these 
entries,  the  baptisms  as  well  as  the  marriages,  the  individuals  present  have 
signed  their  names,  in  some  instances  as  many  as  ten  or  twelve  at  a  time. 
Most  of  the  persons  appear  to  have  been  able  to  write,  for  the  "marks"  are 
comjiaratively  rare,  amounting  to  scarcely  more  than  five  in  a  hundred.  The 
total  number  of  entries  is  not  above  140,  or  at  the  rate  of  7  per  annum,  about 
two  thirds  of  them  representing  baptisms. 


394  REGISTERS  OF  FRENCH  CHURCHES. 

Interspersed  are  some  curious  notices,  described  in  the  lieading  as  "  deli- 
berations du  Consistoire,"  the  longest  of  which,  filling  an  entire  page,  is  as  fol- 
lows ;  "  Notre  aide  soit  au  nom  de  Dieu  qui  a  fait  le  ciel  et  la  terre.  Amen. 
Nous  pasteur  de  I'Eglise  fran9oise  de  Stonehouse  nous  estant  assemble's  en 
consistoire  avec  les  anciens  de  la  ditte  Eglise,  sur  la  plaintc  a  nous  porte'e  par 
Anne  Ratton,  veuve,  centre  Jacques  Loicl,  tons  deux  habitans  de  ce  lieu  et 
rnenibres  ile  la  susditte  Eglise,  dc  ce  que  Jacques  Loiel  avoit  scandaleuse- 
nient  procede'  et  agi  enverelle  et  son  honneur,  estant  alors  senile  en  sa  cham- 
bre,  taut  de  parolles  que  d'actions  deshonnestes,  avons  apres  avoir  invoques 
les  luniieres  divines  du  Saint  Esprit,  et  murcment  deliberez  sur  la  plainte 
porte  et  sur  les  circonstances  scandaleuses,  trop  connues  de  la  plus  grande 
partie  des  membres  de  la  ditte  Eglise,  avons  deja  a  cet  egard  procedez  contre 
le  delinquaut  par  censures  ecclesiastiques,  auquel  nous  avons  fait  premier- 
ment  demander  a  genoux  pardon  a  Dicu  et  a  son  Eglise  dc  son  scandale  et 
de  sa  fautte  devant  les  anciens  et  devant  la  ditte  offense'e  a  laquelle  nous  lui 
avons  ensuitte  apres  I'avoir  fait  relever  fait  faire  excuse  et  reparation  de  son 
attendat  devant  les  tenioins  choisis  par  ellc,  apres  quoi  pour  peinne  et  puni- 
tion  du  scandal  du  dit  Jacques  Loiel,  nous  I'avons  taxe'  a  une  amende  pour 
les  pauvres  et  I'avons  suspendu  de  la  St.  Cene  pour  six  niois  a  compler  de- 
puis  Pacque  jusqu'  a  la  St.  Michel,  au  quel  temps  apres  avoir  fait  paroitre  sa 
repentance  au  Consistoire,  et  lui  demander  d'entree  restitue,  sera  alors  resti- 
tue  sans  reconnoissance  publique  ;  en  foi  de  quoi  nous  avons  signe  la  presente 
deliberation  censure  et  suspension  prononce'  en  Consistoire  ce  28  Mars  de  la 
presente  anne'e  1721.  J.  De  Maure,  piisteur.  T.  Delacombe,  secretaire. 
Jaques  Lardeau,  J.  Delatorte,  J.  Guitton." 

Tiie  next  notice  shows  a  similar  exercise  of  judicial  functions  of  the  min- 
ister and  elders  against  one  Fran9,ois  Alard,  for  "rebellion  manifesto  contre 
le  Pasteur  de  I'Eglise,"  with  the  addition  that,  having  made  "  reconnissanco 
de  son  scandal,"  he  had  been  pardoned,  "il  a  ete'  recu  ii  la  St.  Cene  et  reta- 
ble'  comme  membrc  fidel  de  la  susditte  Eglise."  The  whole  of  these  entries 
are  signed  "Joseph  De  Maure,  pasteur  de  Stonehouse  et  ministre  du  St. 
Evangile." 

The  third  volume  of  the  Stonehouse  records,  a  very  small  octavo  of  about 
twenty  leaves,  in  the  shape  of  a  pocket-book,  contains  a  few  entries  of  bap- 
tisms and  burials,  ranging  from  1743  to  1760.  All  tlie  entries  are  signed 
"Fauriel,  ministre ;"  and  the  heading  of  the  burials  is  ''Mcmoire  de  ceux 
qui  sont  morts  dans  mon  Eglise  depuis  I'anne'e  1743."  There  are  no  notices 
of  any  interest,  and  tlie  wliole  of  the  entries  seem  to  have  been  made  merely 
as  personal  memoranda  for  the  use  of  the  jiastor. 

The  fourth  volume,  a  thin  quarto  of  about  twenty-five  pages,  contains  on 
tlie  one  side  entries  of  ba])tisms  from  17C2  to  1791,  and  on  tlie  other  of  buri- 
als from  17G2  to  1 782.  Tlie  first  entry  of  baptism  runs  :  "  Le  24"^  Sejitembre, 
17<J2,  sur  im  Vendredi,  a  ete'  baptise'e  Anne  fille  legitime  de  monsieur  An- 
toine  Delacombe,  ancien  de  notre  Eglise  et  de  Madame  Jeane,  nee  Dela- 
combe sa  femme.  Parain,  Monsier  Francois  Delacombe,  ancien  de  notre 
Eglise.  Maraine,  Madame  .Jeane,  femme  de  Jean  Brock,  lieutenant,  pour 
Sa  Majeste."  The  fourth  entry  of  bnptism  is  as  follows  :  "Le  23  Septembre, 
1764,  a  ete  batise'e,  sur  un  Dimanche,  Frederic  Louis,  fils  legitime  de  Mou' 


CHUR  CH  A  T  THORPE-LE-SOKEN.  395 

sieur  David  Louis  Monin,  pasteur  de  cette  Eglise  et  de  Lydic  nee  Droz  sa 
femme.  Farrain.  Monsieur  Jean  Brock,  lieutenant,  pour  Sa  Majeste'  le  Roi 
George.  Maraine,  Madame  Jeane  ne'e  Delacombe,  femnic  de  Monsieur  An- 
toine  Delacombe,  Ancien  de  notre  Eglise." 

Tliere  are  but  two  baptisms  entered  in  176-1,  one  in  1765,  one  in  1766,  one 
in  1767,  and  tben  none  till  1770,  when  tliere  is  again  one.  Under  date  of 
1772  is  the  notice,  "Le  service  de  notre  ancienne  Eglise  fran9oise  de  Stone- 
liouse  a  pris  fin  le  vingt  Septembre  et  j'ai  convoque  le  Seigneur  ])our  la  nou- 
velle  Eglise  le  18th  Octobre,  1772,  a  deux  heures  apres  midi.  Alartin  Guil- 
laume  Bataille,  ministre  du  St.  Evangile." 

■  There  are  thirty-five  more  entries  of  baptisms  from  1772  till  1791,  when 
the  list  closes.  Under  date  1790  there  is  an  entry  marking  the  com- 
mencement of  the  French  Revolution  and  the  Vende'e  troubles.  It  runs: 
"George  Marie  Eugene,  fils  de  Francois  Bertrand  et  de  Rene'  le  Goff  natife 
de  Basse  Bretagne  en  France  fut  ne'  a  Stonehouse  et  baptise'e  par  moi  a  la 
inaison  le  jour  de  sa  naissancc  dix  neuvieme  d'Avril,  1790.  Le  parain  a  ete 
1j  tres  puissant  Eugene  Jacques  Marie  de  Keroiiatre,  chevalier,  et  Maraine  la 
tres  puissante  Aline  Yvesse  Maria  Quemper  demoiselle  de  Lanascol.  La 
ceremonie  fut  faite  par  moi  Martin  Guillaume  Bataille,  ministre." 

The  entries  of  burials  are  but  nineteen  in  number  during  the  years  1763  to 
1782,  or  one  per  annum.  In  nearly  all  cases  it  is  stated  that  the  deceased 
was  "  enterree  dans  le  cimetiere  de  la  Chapelle  angloise."  The  first  six  en- 
tries were  made,  as  stated  in  the  heading,  during  the  ministry  of  David  Louis 
Monin,  who  became  "pasteur"  April  11,  1762,  and  the  rest,  commencing  in 
1770,  are  signed  by  Martin  Guillaume  Bataille.  All  the  names  that  occur 
are  French.     There  are  no  notices  of  special  interest. 

French  Church  of  Thorpc-le- Soken,  Essex. 

The  registers  of  this  church,  comprising  baptisms,  burials,  and  marriages, 
are  in  two  parts,  bound  in  one  thin  volume  tolerably  well  preserved.  In  the 
first  part  the  baptisms  are  entered  on  the  one  side,  and  the  burials  and  mar- 
riages indiscriminately  on  the  other.  The  second  part  of  the  book  consists 
of  an  index  of  the  baptisms  and  marriages  arranged  in  chronological  order, 
from  1684  to  1726,  and  followed  by  the  notice  "L'Eglise  Fran9oise  de  Thorpe, 
faute  de  membres,  fut  ferme'e  pen  apres  ce  tems-la." 

The  entries  of  baptisms  are  all  of  some  length,  each  signed  by  the  minister 
for  the  time  being,  but  none  of  them  stating  the  origin  of  the  parents.  There 
are  thirteen  entries  signed  "  Severin,  ministre,"  from  March,  1684,  to  Sep- 
tember, 1686;  one  signed  Laporte,  in  Marcli,  1687;  ninety-nine  signed  Mes- 
tayer,  from  May,  1687,  to  May,  1707  ;  ten  signed  Colin,  from  January,  1708, 
to  November,  1713;  and  seven  signed  Richier,  from  March,  1717,  to  January, 
1726,  when  the  register  ceases.  It  thus  appears  that  the  births,  at  the  estab- 
lishment  of  the  colony  and  for  some  time  after,  averaged  about  five  per  an- 
num, and  fell  down  in  the  end  to  less  than  one. 

There  is  evidence  from  the  minute  care  of  the  entries  that  the  register  was 
very  perfect.  The  fii"st  entry  in  the  book  is  as  follows  :  "  Aujourd'huy  9  jour 
de  Mars,  1684,  a  este  baptize'  Martho,  fiUe  de  Jean  Sionneau  et  d'Elizabeth 
Maistayer  ses  pere  et  mere.     De  laquelle  le  Sieur  Jean  de  L'estrille  Sieur  de 


396  REGISTERS  Or   FREXCII  CHURCHES. 

« 
la  Glide  a  este  parrain  et  mile.  Marguerite  Raillavd,  veuve  de  feu  le  sieur 
Estrang,  maraine,  qui  ont  dit  que  cet  enfant  est  ne'e  le  G^  jour  du  meme  mois 
et  de  la  ditte  annee.  Severin,  ministre."  All  the  other  entries  are  similar, 
only  varying  in  adding  at  times  to  the  name  of  the  parents  the  parish  in 
which  they  live,  most  frequently  "la  Paroisse  le  Thorpe,"  and,  in  fewer  in- 
stances, ''la  paroisse  de  Kirby,"  " de  Tendrin," and  others. 

The  greater  part  of  the  members  of  the  congregation  were  clearly  agricul- 
turists ;  a  large  proportion  bear  noble  names — Charles  de  la  Porte,  Pierre  le 
Febure,  and  Jacques  de  Mede,  occur  very  frequently.  Others,  less  numerous, 
are  Abraham  de  Kiviero,  and  Charles  Fouquet  de  Bournizeau.  "Paul  Po- 
tier,  maitre  chirurgien,"  figures  often  in  the  earlier  notices.  From  an  entry 
under  daK;  of  March,  168*^,  it  appears  that  there  was  a  French  congregation 
at  Harwich,  as  the  godfather  mentioned  is  "  Le  sieur  Hypolite  de  Lazancy, 
ministre  de  la  paroisse  D'llarwich  et  Dovercourt." 

The  register  of  marriages  and  burials  commences  in  1G84  and  ends  in 
1718.  As  in  the  case  of  the  births,  every  entry  is  signed  by  the  minister. 
Marriages  and  burials  succeed  each  other  with  curious  regularity,  and  the 
notices  throughout  are  very  clear  and  precise.  The  first  entry  runs:  "Au- 
jourd'huy  13  jour  de  May,  1684,  a  este  beny  le  marriage  dans  I'Eglise  de 
Thorp  d'entre  Charles  de  la  Porte  natif  de  St.  Jean  de  Gardomenque  en  la 
province  de  Sevenes,  d'une  part,  et  Louise  Plumail  fille  de  defFunct  Theodore 
Plumail,  vivant  marchand  demeurant  a  Riord  en  Poitou  et  Louise  de  la 
Vaux,  ses  pere  and  mere  d'autre  part.  Severin,  ministre."  Tlie  next  entry 
is"  Aujourd'huy  1  jour  de  May,  1805,  a  este  entcrre'  le  corps  de  deft'unt  Isaac 
de  Sevre  dit  La  Chaboissiere  decede  au  Seigneur  le  29  d'Avril  de  cette  an- 
nee, age  d'environ  soixante  ct  treizc  ans.     Severin." 

The  same  forms  continue  throughout,  though  in  many  cases  of  burials  the 
origin  or  occupation  of  the  deceased  is  mentioned.  In  September,  1088,  is 
the  entry  of  the  burial  of  "Samuel  Bauchamp,  cy  devaut  avocat  au  Parle- 
ment  de  Paris,  age'  dc  78  ans;"  and  in  December,  1705,  that  of  "Pierre  Es- 
pinasse,  de  la  paroisse  de  Thorpe,  chirurgien."  The  marriages  cease  alto- 
gether in  1708,  and  there  are  but  very  few  deaths  after  this  period — two  in 
1709,  two  in  1711,  one  1712,  and  one  in  1718.  The  last  entry  is  that  of  the 
death  of  "Susanne  Grellet,"and  a  notice  at  the  end  of  the  register-index 
states  that  the  Grellet  family  kept  the  books  of  the  congregation  for  a  time. 
This  notice,  signed  "Jacob  Bourdillon,  pasteur,"  and  dated  November  13, 
1784,  attests  that  "  Monsieur  Jacques  Grellet  s'e'tant  retire'  ii  Londres,  m'a 
remis,  il  y  a  environ  douze  ans,  le  livre  des  actes  et  registres  dc  Consistoire, 
aussi  bien  que  cclni  desBatemes,  marriages  et  enterrements  de  I'Eglise  fran- 
9aise  de  Thor))c,  lesquels  j"ai  confie'  au  Consistoire  de  mon  Eglise  de  I'Artil- 
lerie  au  Spitalfields." 

French  Church  at  Thoniey  Abbey,  Caiiibnd<jes]dre. 

Nothing  is  known  of  the  origin  of  the  French  church  at  Tiiorney  Abbey, 
which  was  established  in  1052,  and  continued  until  1727.  Tlie  register  of 
baptisms  begins  in  1054,  and  contains  particulars  of  the  names  of  the  spon- 
sors as  well  as  jiarcnts  of  the  children  baptized. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  Thorncy  French  church  was  formed  shortly  after 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES.  307 

tlie  breaking  up  of  the  Walloon  colony  at  Sandtoft,  in  the  Level  of  Hatfield 
Chase,  Yorkshire,  during  the  wars  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  that  many  of 
the  settlers  then  came  from  the  northern  colony. 

An  abstract  of  tlie  Sandtoft  register  (now  lost)  is  given  by  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Hunter  in  his  History  of  the  Deanery  of  JJoncaster,  from  which  it  would  appear 
that  out  of  seventy-one  families  at  Sandtoft,  fourteen  removed  to  Thorney, 
bearing  the  names  of  Bentiland,  Blancart,  Descamps,  Egar,  Flahau,  Le  Haire, 
Hardie'g,  Harlay,  De  la  Haye,  De  Lanoy,  De  Lespierre,  Massingarbe,  Du 
Qiiesne,  and  Taffiu  ;  as  well  as  members  of  the  following  families :  Amory, 
lieharelle,  Blique,  Du  Bois,  Clais,  Le  Conte,  Coqueler,  Desbicns,  Desquier, 
La  Fleur,  Fontaine,  Frouchart,  Gouy,  Hancar,  Le  Lieu,  Marquillier,  Renard, 
Ramery,  Le  Roux,  Le  Roy,  Le  Talle,  and  Vennin. 

There  are,  however,  numerous  names  in  the  Thorney  register  which  do  not 
occur  in  that  of  Sandtoft,  more  particularly  those  of  De  Bailleu,  Lisy,  De 
Seine  (Dessein),  Le  Fevre,  Sigie',  Le  Pla,  Rio,  Fauverque,  De  la  Rue,  Caillet, 
Wantier,  Descou,  Dournelle,  Yserby,  Vandebeck,  Du  Pont,  Brasseur,  Sene- 
sclial,  etc. 

The  French  congregation  at  Thorney  does  not  appear  to  have  received' 
any  accession  of  members  in  consequence  of  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes.  In  the  five  years  following  the  Revocation  not  a  single  baptism  ap- 
pears in  any  family  which  was  not  settled  in  Thorney  before  that  event. 

The  average  number  of  baptisms  at  this  church  from  IGGO  to  1670  was 
3D :  in  the  following  ten  years,  32 ;  from  which  time  the  number  gradually 
declined,  until,  in  the  ten  years  ending  1727,  the  baptisms  were  only  six. 

Judge  Bayley,  of  tlie  Westminster  County  Court,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  this  analysis  of  the  Thorney  register,  is  descended  from  one  of  the  foreign 
settlers,  and  informs  us  of  the  singular  mutations  which  the  name  of  his 
family  has  undergone  in  little  more  than  two  centuries — from  the  original 
De  Bailleu,  or  De  Bailleux,  to  Balieux,  Balieu,  Balieul,  De  Bailleul,  Bail- 
leul,  Balieul,  Bayly,  Bailly,  and  eventually  Bayley — all  these  successively  ap- 
pearing in  the  register,  showing  the  tendency  of  foreign  appellations  gradu- 
ally to  assimilate  themselves  to  those  of  the  country  in  which  they  have  be- 
come native,  and  illustrating  the  difficulty  of  preserving  the  spelling,  and 
even  the  sound,  of  foreign  family  names  during  the  course  of  a  few  genera- 
tions. 


IIL  HUGUENOT  REFUGEES  AND  THEIR  DESCENDANTS. 

The  following  list  of  the  more  notable  men  among  the  refugees  has  been 
collated  from  Haag's  La  France  Protestunte  ;  Agnew's  Protestant  Exiles  Ji-om 
France;  Durrant  Cooper's  Zes/s  of  Foreiyn  Protestants  and  Aliens,  1618-1688; 
Burn's  History  of  the  Foreign  Refugees;  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Archaohgy ; 
and  from  private  sources  of  information.  It  is  probable  that  important 
names  have  been  omitted  from  the  list,  and  that  the  facts  may  in  certain 
cases  be  inaccurately  stated.  Should  the  opportunity  be  afforded  him,  the 
author  will  be  glad  to  correct  such  defects  in  a  future  edition. 


398 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


ABBADIE,  James,  D.D.,a  native 
of  Nay,  in  Beam,  where  he  was  born 
in  1654.  An  able  preacher  and  writ- 
er ;  first  settled  in  Berlin,  which  he 
left  to  accompany  the  Duke  of  Schom- 
berg  into  England.  He  was  for  some 
time  minister  of  the  Church  of  tlie  Sa- 
voy, London,  and  was  afterward  made 
Dean  of  Killaloe  in  Ireland.  He  died 
in  London  in  1727.  For  farther  no- 
tice, see  p.  240. 

ALLIX,  Peter,  an  able  preacher 
and  controversialist.  Bom  at  Alen- 
9on  1(541  ;  died  in  London  1717. 
Was  one  of  the  ministers  of  the  great 
church  at  t'harenton,  neai"  Paris.  At 
the  Revocation  he  took  refuge  in  En- 
gland, where  he  was  appointed  canon 
and  treasurer  to  the  Cathedral  of  Sal- 
isbury.   For  farther  notice,  see  ]i.  242. 

AMAND,  or  AIMYAND  :  a  Hu- 
guenot refugee  of  this  name  settled  in 
London  in  the  beginnning  of  last  cen- 
tury. His  son  Claude  was  princi]ial 
surgeon  to  George  II.  ;  and  the  two 
sons  of  the  latter  were  Claudius,  under 
secretary  of  state,  and  George  (created 
a  baronet  in  1 704),  who  sat  in  Parlia- 
ment for  Barnstaple.  The  second 
baronet  assumed  the  name  of  Corne- 
wall.  His  daughter  married  Sir  Gil- 
bert Frankland  Lewis,  Bart.,  and  was 
the  mother  of  the  late  Sir  Cornewall 
Lewis,  Bart.,  M.P. 

ANDRE,  the  name  of  a  French 
refugee  family  settled  in  Southamjjton, 
from  whom  the  celebrated  and  unfor- 
tunate Major  Andre  was  descended, 
though  the  latter  was  brought  up  at 
Lichfield. 

AUBERTIN,  Peter,  a  native  of 
Neufchatel,  in  Picardy,  who  fled  into 
England  about  the  middle  of  last  cen- 
tury. He  was  for  many  years  an  emi- 
nent merchant  in  London.  His  son, 
the  late  Rev.  Peter  Aubertin,  vicar  of 
Chipstead,  Surrey,  died  in  l!S(Jl  at  the 
age  of  8 1 ,  leaving  a  numerous  family. 

AUFRERE,  George,  M.P.,  de- 
scended ft-om  a  Huguenot  refugee ; 
sat  for  Stamford  in  Parliament  from 
17G1  to  17(58. 

AURIOL,  Peter,  a  refugee  from 
Lower  Languedoc,  who  rose  to  emi- 
nence as  a  London  merchant.     The 


Archbishop  of  York,  the  Hon.  and 
most  Rev.  R.  N.  Dmmmond.  mamed 
his  daughter  and  heiress,  Henrietta, 
and  afterward  succeeded  to  the  peer- 
age of  Strathallan.  The  refugee's 
daughter  thus  became  Countess  of 
Stratludlan.  The  present  head  of  the 
family  is  the  Earl  of  Kinnoul,  who 
continues  to  bear  the  name  of  Auriol. 
The  Rev.  Edward  Auriol  is  rector  of 
bt.  Dunstans-in-the-West,  London. 
BACQUENCOURT,   see  Des 

VdUX. 

BARON,  Peter,  Professor  in  the 
University  of  Cambridge  about  ir>7."). 
He  was  originally  from  Etampes,  and 
fled  to  England  after  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew.  He  died  in  Lon- 
don, leaving  behind  him  an  only  son, 
Samuel,  who  practiced  medicine,  and 
died  at  Lyme-Regis,  in  Norfolk. 

BARRE,  a  Protestant  family  of 
Pont  -  Gibau,  near  Rochelle.  several 
members  of  which  settled  in  Ireland. 
Peter  Barre'  married  Miss  Raboteau, 
also  a  refugee.  He  \\as  an  alderman 
of  Dublin,  and  carried  on  a  large  busi- 
ness as  a  linen-draper.  His  son  Isaac, 
educated  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
entered  the  army,  in  which  he  rose  to 
high  rank.  He  was  adjutant  general 
of  the  British  forces  under  Wolfe  at 
Quebec.  He  afterward  entered  Par- 
liament, where  he  distinguished  him- 
self by  his  eloquence  and  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  American  Stamp  Act.  In 
1  77(1  Colonel  Barre  was  made  vice- 
treasurer  of  Ireland  and  pri\y  coun- 
cilor. He  subsequently  held  the  of- 
fices of  treasurer  of  the  navy  and  pay- 
master of  the  forces,  in  both  of  which 
he  displaj'ed  eminent  integrity  and  ef- 
ficiency.    He  died  in  1802. 

BATZ,  the  name  of  a  Huguenot 
family,  the  head  of  which  was  seigneur 
of  Monan,  near  Nerac,  in  Guyenne. 
Tlu-ee  of  the  sons  of  Joseph  de  Batz, 
seigneur  of  Guay,  escaped  from  France 
into  Holland,  entered  the  senice  of 
the  Prince  of  Orange,  whom  they  ac- 
com])anied  in  his  expedition  to  En- 
gland. Two  of  them,  cajitains  of  in- 
fantry, were  killed  at  the  Bo^^le. 

BEAUFORT,  Daniel  AuGrsn  s 
DE,  a  controversial  writer,  was  pastor 


HUG  UENO  T  REFUGEES. 


309 


of  tl:e  church  of  the  Xew  Patent  in 
1  72<s  ;  of  the  Artillery  in  1  7L'S  ;  and 
of  the  l^avoy,  and  probably  !-]jring 
Gardens,  in  1  /  41.  He  afterward  went 
to  Ireland,  where  he  lield  the  living  of 
Navan,  and  was  ajipointed  Dean  of 
Tnam.  The  descendants  of  the  fam- 
ily are  still  in  England.  One  is  rector 
of  Lymm  in  Cheshire  ;  another  is  fa- 
vorably known  as  a  novelist. 

BEAU  VOIR,  Dk,  the  name  of  one 
of  the  most  ancient  families  in  Langue- 
doc,  several  branches  of  which  were 
Protestant.  Francis,  eldest  son  of 
Scipio  du  Koure,  took  refuge  in  En- 
gland at  the  Revocation,  and  obtained 
a  company  in  a  cavalry  regiment.  His 
two  sons  also  fjllowed  the  career  of 
arms  with  distinction.  Alexander, 
the  eldest,  was  colonel  of  the  -Ith  Foot, 
governor  of  Plymouth,  lieutenant  gen- 
eral, commander-in-chief  in  Scotland, 
etc.  He  especially  distinguished  him- 
self at  the  battle  of  Dettingen.  He 
went  into  France  for  the  benefit  of 
his  health,  and  died  at  Bareges,  whith- 
er he  had  gone  for  the  benefit  of  the 
waters.  The  French  government  hav- 
ing refused  his  body  Christian  burial, 
in  consequence  of  his  being  the  son  of 
a  refugee  Protestant,  the  body  was 
embalmed  and  sent  to  England  to  be 
buried.  The  second  son,  yci]>io,  was 
also  the  colonel  of  an  English  infontry 
regiment,  and  was  killed  at  tlie  battle 
of  Fontenoy.  Another  family  of  the 
same  name  is  spnmg  from  Richard  de 
Beauvoir,  Esq.,  of  the  island  of  Guern- 
sey, who  purchased  the  manor  of 
Balmes,  in  the  parish  of  Hackney, 
and  thns  gave  its  name  to  De  Beau- 
voir town. 

BELCASTEL  DE  MONTVAIL- 
LAJsT,  Pierre,  a  refugee  officer  from 
Languedoc,  who  entered  the  service 
of  William  of  Orange.  After  the 
death  of  La  Caillemotte  at  the  Bopie, 
he  was  made  colonel  of  the  regiment. 
Belcastel  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
Irish  campaigns  of  1G90-1.  He  was 
eventually  raised  to  the  rank  of  major 
general  in  the  Dutch  army.  He  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Villa  Viciosa,  in 
Spain,  in  1710. 

BENEZET,  Antoine,  one  of  the 


earliest  and  most  zealous  advocates  of 
negro  emancipation.  He  was  bom  in 
London  in  171.'',  of  an  honest  refugee 
couple  from  St.  Quentin,  and  bred  to 
the  trade  of  a  cooper.  He  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  America,  and  set- 
tled at  Philadelphia.  There  he  be- 
came a  Quaker,  and  devoted  himself 
with  great  zeal  to  the  question  of 
emancipation  of  the  blacks,  for  whose 
cJiildren  he  established  and  supported 
schools  in  Philadelphia.  He  died 
there  in  1 7H4. 

BENOIT,  X. .  a  refugee  silk-weaver 
settled  in  iSpitalfields.  He  was  the 
author  of  several  controversial  works, 
more  ))articularly  relating  to  baptism, 
Benoit  being  of  tlie  Baptist  persuasion. 

BERNIERE.  Jean  Antoine  ue,  a 
refugee  officer  who  served  under  the 
Earl  of  Gal  way  in  Spain.  He  lost  a 
hand  at  the  battle  of  Almanza.  His 
son  was  a  captain  in  the  30th  Foot ; 
his  grandson  (Henry  Abraham  Crom- 
melin  de  Berniere)  was  a  major  gen- 
eral in  the  Pritish  army;  and  his 
great-grandson,  married  to  the  sister 
of  the  present  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
burv,  rose  to  the  same  rank. 

BERTHEAU,  Rev.  Charles,  ref- 
ugee pastor  in  London,  a  native  of 
MontpeUier,  expelled  from  Paris, 
where  Tie  was  one  of  the  ministers  of 
the  great  Protestant  church  of  Charen- 
ton  at  the  Revocation.  He  became 
minister  of  the  Walloon  church  in 
Threadneedle  Street,  wdiich  oflice  he 
filled  for  forty -fom-  years.  Several 
volumes  of  his  sermons  have  been  ])ub- 
lished. 

BION,  Jean  FRAN901S,  a  native  of 
Dijon,  Roman  Catholic  curate  of  Ursy, 
afterward  appointed  chaplain  to  the 
galley  Svperbe  at  Toulon,  which  con- 
tained a  large  number  of  galley-slaves 
condemned  for  their  foith.  Touched 
by  their  sufferings,  as  well  as  by  the 
patience  and  courage  with  which  they 
bore  them,  Bion  embraced  Protestant- 
ism, exclaiming,  '•  Their  blood  preach- 
es to  me  !"  He  left  France  for  Gene- 
va in  1704,  and  afterward  took  refuge 
in  London,  Avhere  he  was  ajjpointed 
rector  of  a  school,  and  oflBciated  as 
minister  of  the  French  churcli  at  Chel- 


400 


HUG  UENO  T  REFUGEES. 


sea.  He  subsequently  proceeded  to 
Holland,  where  he  exercised  the  func- 
tions ofchai)lain  of  an  English  church. 
He  was  the  author  of  several  works, 
his  best  known  being  the  Relation  des 
Tuurniena  que  I' on  fait  soiijfrir  aux 
Pi-otestaus  qui  sent  sur  les  Galercs  tie 
France,  published  at  London  in  1 708. 

BLANC,  Anthony,  pastor  of  the 
French  church  of  La  Nouvelle  Patente 
in  1(J1>2.  Theodore  and  Jean  Blanc 
«\ere  two  other  French  refugee  jiastors 
in  London  about  the  same  time,  the 
latter  being  pastor  of  L'Artillerie. 
Tb.e  Blancs  were  from  Kaintonge  and 
Foitou. 

BLAQUi:fiRE,  De,  a  French  noble 
family,  of  whom  John  de  Blaquiere,  a 
zealous  Huguenot,  took  refuge  in  En- 
gland in  KJyo.  One  of  his  sons  be- 
came eminent  as  a  London  merchant ; 
another  settled  at  Lisburn,  where  his 
sister  married  John  C'rommelin,  son 
of  Louis.  The  fifth  son,  John,  enter- 
ed the  arm}',  and  rose  to  be  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  17th  Light  Dragoons. 
He  held  varioits  j)nblic  offices — was 
secretary  of  Legation  at  Paris,  secre- 
tary to  the  lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland, 
was  made  a  baronet  in  1 784,  and 
raised  to  tlie  peerage  in  1 800  as  Lord 
de  Blaquie're  of  Ardkill  in  Ireland. 

BLONDEL,  Moses,  a  learned  ref- 
ugee scholar  in  London,  circa  1621, 
author  of  a  work  on  the  Apocryphal 
\\ri  tings. 

BLONDEL,  James  Augustus,  a 
distinguished  refugee  physician  in 
London,  as  well  as  an  able  scholar. 
The  author  of  several  learned  and  sci- 
entific treatises.     Died  in  1 784. 

BLOSSET,  a  Nivernais  Protestant 
family,  the  head  of  which  was  the 
Sieur  de  Fleury.  8'everal  Blossets 
fied  into  Holland  and  England  at  the 
Kevocation.  Colonel  Blosset,  of 
"  Blosset's  Foot,"  who  settled  in  Ire- 
land, was  the  owner  of  a  good  estate 
in  the  county  of  Dublin,  i-'ergeant 
Blosset,  afterward  Lord  Chief  Justice 
of  Bengal,  belonged  to  the  family. 

B0(;HART,  P^RANgois.  Ilaag 
says  that  among  the  Protestant  ref- 
ugees in  Scotland,  Francis  Bochart 
has  been  mentioned,  who,  in  conjunc- 


tion with  Claude  Paulin,  established  in 
1 730  the  manufacture  of  cambric  at 
Edinburg. 

BUDT  or  BOTT,  John  de,  a  ref- 
ugee French  officer,  appointed  cajitain 
of  artillery  and  engineers  in  the  Brit- 
ish service  in  1  G<JO.  He  distinguished 
himself  by  the  operations  conducted 
by  him  at  the  siege  of  Naumur,  to 
which  William  III.  mainly  attributed 
the  capture  of  the  jilace.  Bodt  after- 
ward entered  the  service  of  tiie  King 
of  Prussia,  who  made  him  brigadier 
and  chief  engineer.  He  was  also  emi- 
nent as  an  architect,  and  designed 
some  of  the  principal  public  buildings 
at  Berlin. 

BOESMER  DE  LA  TOUCHE, 
l)astor  of  the  French  congregation  at 
Winchelsea  in  1700-0.  His  son,  of 
the  same  name,  was  a  sui'geon  in  Lon- 
don in  1 7()4. 

BOILEAU  DE  CASTELNAU, 
an  ancient  Languedoc  family,  many 
of  whose  members  embraced  Protest- 
antism and  remained  faithful  to  it. 
Charles,  son  of  Jacques  Boileau,  coun- 
cilor of  Nismes,  was  a  captain  of  in- 
fantry in  the  English  service,  ^\■ho  set- 
tled in  England  about  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  was  the 
founder  of  the  English  branch  of  the 
Boileau  family,  the  ))resent  head  of 
which  is  Sir  John  Boileau,  Bart. 

BOIREAU,  see  Bouherau. 

BOISBELAU  DE  LA  CHA- 
PELLE,  usually  known  as  Armand 
de  la  Chapelle,  left  France  at  the  Re- 
vocation. He  was  destined  for  the 
ministry  from  an  early  age.  At 
eighteen  he  was  sent  into  Ireland  to 
preach  to  the  French  congregations, 
and  after  two  years,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  he  was  appointed  jiastor  of 
the  French  church  at  Wandsworth, 
lie  subsequently  officiated  as  minister 
of  the  Artillery  Church,  and  of  the 
French  church  at  the  Hague.  He 
was  a  voluminous  writer. 

BONHOMME,  a  Protestant  draper 
from  Paris,  who  settled  at  I])swich, 
and  instructed  the  artisans  there  ii) 
the  manufacture  of  sail-cloth,  which 
shortly  became  a  considerable  branch 
of  British  industry. 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


401 


BONNELL,  Thomas,  a  gentleman 
of  good  family  near  Ypres,  in  Flan- 
ders, who  took  refuge  in  England  from 
the  Duke  of  Alva's  persecutions,  and 
settled  at  Norwich,  of  which  he  be- 
came mayor.  His  son  was  Daniel 
Ilonnell,  merchant,  of  London,  father 
of  .'amuel  Bonnell,  who  served  his  ap- 
prenticeship with  Sir  William  Coiu'- 
teen  (a  Flemish  refugee),  and  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  merchant  at  Leg- 
horn. He  returned  to  England,  and 
at  the  Restoration  was  appointed  ac- 
countant general  for  Ireland.  He 
died  at  Dublin,  and  was  succeeded  in 
the  office  by  his  son,  a  man  eminent 
for  his  piety,  and  whose  hfe  has  been 
written  at  great  length  by  Archdeacon 
Hamilton,  of  Armagh. 

B(_)SANQUET,  David,  a  Hugue- 
not refugee,  naturalized  in  England  in 
1()87.  His  gi'andson,  Samuel,  was  a 
director  of  the  Bank  of  England. 
Mary,  the  sister  of  the  latter,  was  the 
celebrated  wife  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fletch- 
er, vicar  of  Madeley.  Other  members 
occupied  illustrious  positions  in  socie- 
ty. One,  William,  founded  the  well- 
known  bank  in  London.  Sir  John  B. 
Bosanquet,  the  celebrated  judge,  also 
lielonged  to  the  family,  which  is  now 
represented  by  Samuel  Richard  Bosan- 
quet, of  Dingeston  Court,  Monmouth. 

BOSQUET,  Andrew,  a  refugee 
from  Languedoc,  who  escaped  into 
I'-ngland  after  sutl'ering  fourteen  years' 
slavery  in  the  French  king's  galle}-s. 
He  was  the  originator  of  the  West- 
minster French  ( 'harity  School,  found- 
ed in  1747,  for  the  education  of  chil- 
dren of  poor  F^rench  refugees. 

BOSTAQUET,  Dujiont  de.  For 
notice  of,  see  p.  l'J2  et  seq. 

BOU  FFARD,  a  refugee  family  from  : 
the  neighborhood  of  Castres,  of  whom 
Bouffard,  Sieur  de  la  Garrigue,  was 
the  head.     One  of  the  family  emigra- 
ted to  FLngland,  and,  in  accordance  witli 
the  usual  practice,  took  the  name  of 
the   family   estate.      David  Garrick,  j 
the  tragedian,  is  said  to  have  been  one  i 
of  his  descendants.  I 

BOUHERAU,Elia,s,M.D.,D.D., 
a  learned  Huguenot  refugee,  who  be- 
came secretary  to  the  Earl  of  Galwav  I 

b 


in  Ireland.  When  the  earl  left  Ire- 
land, he  became  pastor  to  one  of  the 
F>ench  congregations  in  Dublin ;  was 
afterward  episcopally  ordained,  and 
officiated  as  chantor  of  St.  Patrick's 
Cathedral.  One  of  his  sons,  John, 
entered  the  Church  ;  another  was 
' '  town-major"  of  Dublin.  The  latter 
altered  his  name  to  Borough,  and  from 
him  the  j)resent  Sir  Fl  R.  Borough,  of 
Baseldon  Park,  Berkshire,  is  lineally 
descended. 

BOURDILLON,  Jacob,  an  able 
and  eloquent  pastor  of  several  French 
chm-ches  in  London.  For  notice  of, 
see  p.  278. 

BOUVERIES,  Laurence  des,  a 
refugee  from  Sainghen,  near  Lille,  in 
InGS.  He  settled  first  at  Sandwich, 
and  afterA\ard  at  Canterbury,  where  he 
began  the  business  of  a  silk-weaver. 
Edward,  the  grandson  of  Laurence, 
established  himself  in  London  as  a  Le- 
vant merchant,  and  from  that  time  the 
family  greatly  prospered.  William 
was  made  a  baronet  in  1711,  and  Ja- 
cob was  created  a  peer,  under  the  ti- 
tle of  Viscount  F''olkestone,  in  1 747. 
His  son  Philip  assumed  the  name  of 
Pusey  on  his  marriage  in  1  7!KS.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Pusey,  of  Oxford,  is  one  of 
the  sons  by  this  marriage.  For  far- 
ther notice,  see  ]>.  301). 

BOYER,  AiiEL,  a  refugee  from 
Castres,  where  he  was  born  in  16G4. 
He  died,  pen  in  hand,  at  Chelsea,  in 
1 729.  He  was  the  author  of  the  well- 
kno^vn  French  and  English  Dictiona- 
ry^ as  well  as  cf  several  historical 
works. 

BRISSAC,  B.  DE,  a  refugee  pastor 
from  Chatellerault,  who  fled  from 
France  at  the  Revocation.  We  find 
one  of  his  descendants.  Captain  George 
Brissac,  a  director  of  the  French  Hos- 
pital in  London  in  1 773.  Ilaag  says 
that  one  of  the  female  Brissacs  became 
famous  at  Berlin  for  her  sausages,  and 
especially  for  her  black  puddings, 
which  continue  to  be  known  there  as 
"  boudins  fran^ais." 

BRUNET,  a  munerous  Protestant 
fomily  in  Saintonge.  N.  Bnmet,  a 
privateer  of  La  Rochelle,  was  in  1G62 
condemned  to  suifer  coi-poral  punish-" 


402 


IIUGUESOT  REFUGEES. 


ment,  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  1000  livres, 
unless  within  a  given  time  he  produced 
before  the  magistrates  thirty-six  young 
Protestants  whom  he  had  carried  over 
to  America.  Of  course  the  refugee 
youths  were  never  produced.  At  the 
Revocation  the  Bmnets  of  Rochelle 
nearly  all  emigrated  to  London.  We 
find  frequent  baptisms  of  children  of 
the  name  recorded  in  the  registers  of 
the  churches  of  Le  Quarre  and  La 
Nouvelle  Patente,  as  well  as  marriages 
at  the  same  place,  and  at  Wheeler 
Street  Chapel  and  La  Patente  in  Soho. 

BUCER,  Martin,  a  refugee  from 
Alsace ;  one  of  the  early  reformers,  an 
eloquent  preacher  as  well  as  a  vigor- 
ous and  learned  writer.  He  accepted 
the  invitation  of  Archljishoj)  Cranmer 
to  settle  in  England,  where  he  assisted 
in  revising  the  English  Liturgy,  ex- 
cluding what  savored  of  popery,  but 
not  going  so  far  as  Calvin.  He  was 
appointed  professor  of  theology  at 
Cambridge,  where  he  was  i)resented 
with  a  doctor's  dijiloma.  But  the  cli- 
mate of  England  not  agreeing  with 
him,  Bucer  returned  to  Strasburg, 
where  he  died  in  ].">")!. 

BUCHLEIN,  otherwise  called  FA- 
GIUS,  a  contemporary  of  Martin  Bu- 
cer, and,  like  him,  a  refugee  at  Cam- 
bridge University,  where  he  held  tlie 
professorshii)  of  Hebrew.  While  in 
that  office,  which  he  held  for  only  a 
few  years,  he  fell  ill  of  fever,  of  which 
he  died,  but  not  without  a  suspicion  of 
having  been  poisoned. 

BUISSlilRE,  Paul,  a  celebrated 
anatomist,  F.R.IS.,  and  corresponding 
member  of  various  scientific  societies. 
He  lived  for  a  time  in  London,  but 
eventually  settled  at  Copenhagen, 
where  he  achieved  a  high  reputation. 
We  find  one  Paul  Buissiere  governor 
of  the  French  Hospital  in  London  in 
1 721t,  and  Jean  Buissiere  in  1  77<!. 

CAILLEMOTTE,  La,  younger  son 
of  the  old  Marquis  de  Ruvign\-,  who 
commanded  a  Huguenot  regiment  at 
tlie  battle  of  the  Boyne,  where  he  was 
killed.  See  Mas.sue,  and  notices  at  p. 
211  and  215. 

CAMBON,  a  refugee  French  offi- 
cer, who  commanded  one  of  the  Hu- 


guenot regiments  raised  in  London  in 
IGiS!).  He  fought  at  the  Boyne  and 
at  Athlone,  and  died  in  I(jil3. 

CAPPEL,  Loriis,  characterized  as 
the  father  of  sacred  criticism.  He  was 
born  at  Saint  Elier  in  1585  ;  at  twenty 
he  was  selected  by  the  Duke  of  Bouil- 
lon as  tutor  for  his  son.  Four  years 
later,  the  church  at  Bordeaux  furnish- 
ed him  with  the  means  of  visiting  the 
])rincipal  academies  of  England,  Hol- 
land, and  Germany.  He  passed  two 
years  at  Oxford,  during  which  he 
j)rincipally  occupied  himself  with  the 
study  of  the  Stfemitic  languages.  He 
subsequently  occupied  the  chair  of  the- 
ology in  the  University  of  Samm',  im- 
til  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1(J58. 
Bishop  Hall  designated  Louis  Cappel 
"the  grand  oracle  of  the  Hebrasts." 
Louis's  son  James  was  appointed  pro- 
fessor of  Hebrew  in  the  same  Univer- 
sity at  the  early  age  of  nineteen.  At 
the  Revocation  he  took  refuge  in  En- 
gland, and  became  professor  of  Latin 
in  the  Nonconformist  College,  Hoxton 
Square,  London.    See  notice  at  p.  24G. 

CARBONEL,  Jt)HN,  son  of  Thom- 
as Car])onel,  merchant  of  Caen  :  John 
was  one  of  the  secretaries  of  Louis 
XIV.,  and  fled  to  England  at  the  Rev- 
ocation. His  l)rotlier  William  became 
an  eminent  merchant  in  London. 

CARLE,  Pktei,',  a  native  of  Valler- 
augue  in  the  (^evennes,  born  1GG(3 ; 
died  in  London  i  I'M).  He  fled  from 
France  at  the  Re\'ocation,  passing  l)y 
Geneva  through  Switzerland  into  Hol- 
land, and  finally  into  England.  He 
entered  the  corps  of  engineers  in  the 
army  of  William,  and  fought  at  the 
Boyne,  afterward  accompanying  the 
army  through  all  its  campaigns  in  the 
Low  Countries.  He  rose  to  be  fourth 
engineer  in  the  British  senice,  and  re- 
tired upon  a  pension  in  1(J93.  He  aft- 
erward served  under  Lord  Galway  in 
Spain,  when  the  King  of  Portugal 
made  him  lieutenant  general  and  en- 
gineer-in-chief In  1 720  he  returned 
to  England,  and  devoted  the  rest  of 
his  life  to  the  improvement  of  agricul- 
ture, on  which  subject  he  \\iote  and 
published  many  useful  A\orks. 

CARRI),  a   Protestant   family    of 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


403 


Poitou,  of  which  several  members  em- 
igrated to  England,  and  others  to 
North  America.  A  M.  Carre  officia- 
ted as  reader  in  the  French  church  at 
Hammersmith,  and  another  of  the 
same  name  was  minister  of  La  Pa- 
tente  in  London.  We  also  find  one 
Francis  Carre  a  member  of  the  con- 
sistory of  New  York  in  1 772. 

CARTAUD  or  CAKTAULT, 
Matthew,  a  Protestant  minister  who 
fled  from  France  at  the  time  of  the 
Bartholomew  massacre,  and  officiated 
as  pastor  of  the  little  church  of  fugi- 
tives at  live,  aftenvard  returning  to 
Die]ipe ;  and  again  (on  the  revival  of 
the  persecution)  finally  settling  and 
d^dng  in  England.  One  of  his  sons 
was  minister  of  La  Nouvelle  Patente 
in  London  in  1()9G. 

CASAUBON,  Isaac,  son  of  a 
French  refugee  from  Bordeaux  settled 
at  Geneva,  where  he  was  born  in  1559. 
His  father  retiu-ned  to  Paris  on  the 
temporary  cessation  of  the  persecution, 
became  minister  of  a  congregation  at 
Crest,  and  proceeded  with  the  educa- 
tion of  his  son  Isaac,  who  gave  signs 
of  extraordinary  abilities.  At  nine 
years  of  age  he  spoke  Latin  with  flu- 
ency. At  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew the  family  fled  into  conceal- 
ment, and  it  was  while  hiding  in  a 
cavern  that  Isaac  received  from  his 
father  his  first  lesson  in  Greek.  At 
nineteen  he  was  sent  to  the  academy 
of  Geneva,  where  he  studied  jiuispni- 
dence  under  Pacius,  theology  under 
De  Beza,  and  Oriental  languages  un- 
der Chevalier  ;  but  no  branch  of  learn- 
ing attracted  him  more  than  Greek, 
and  he  was,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
appointed  professor  of  tliat  language 
at  Geneva.  His  large  family  induced 
him  to  return  to  France,  accepting  the 
professorship  of  civil  laws  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Montpellier  ;  and  there  he 
settled  for  a  time.  On  the  revival  of 
persecution  in  France  at  the  assassi- 
nation of  Hemy  IV. ,  Casaubon  emi- 
grated to  England.  He  was  well  re- 
ceived by  James  I.,  who  gave  him  a 
pension,  and  appointed  him  prebend 
of  Westminster.  He  died  at  London 
in  1(!14,  leaving  behind  him   twenty 


sons  and  daughters,  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  works  written  during  his  life- 
time, chiefly  on  classical  and  religious 
subjects.  His  son  Florence  Stephen 
Casaubon,  D.D.,  having  accompanied 
his  father  into  England,  was  entered  a 
student  at  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  in 
1614,  where  he  greatly  distinguished 
himself.  In  1G22  he  took  the  degi-ee 
of  M.  A.  He  was  appointed  rector  of  ^ 
Ickham,  and  aftenvard  prebendary  Cif 
Canterbury.  He  was  the  author  of 
many  learned  works.  He  died  at 
Canterbury  in  1071. 

CAUX,  De  :  many  refugees  of  this 
name  fled  from  Normandy  into  En- 
gland. Several  of  them  came  over 
from  Dieppe  and  settled  in  Norwich, 
their  names  frequently  occiu-ring  in 
the  registers  of  the  French  church 
there,  in  conjunction  with  those  of 
Martineau,  Columbine,  Le  Monnier, 
De  la  Haye,  etc.  Solomon  de  Cans, 
the  engineer,  whose  name  is  connecteil 
with  the  first  invention  of  the  steam- 
engine,  sjjent  several  years  as  a  refugee 
in  England,  after  which  he  proceeded 
to  Germany  in  1613,  and  vdtimately 
died  in  France,  whither  he  retm-ned 
in  his  old  age.  For  notice  of  him,  see 
p.  231. 

CAVALIER,  John,  tne  Cevennol 
leader,  afterward  major  general  in  the 
British  army.     For  notice,  see  p.  222. 

CHAIGNEAU,  Louis,  John,  and 
Stephen,  refugees  from  St.  Sairenne, 
in  the  Charente,  where  the  fiimily 
held  considerable  landed  estates.  They 
settled  in  Dublin,  and  prospered.  One 
of  the  sons  of  Louis  sat  for  Gowram 
in  the  Irish  Parhament ;  another  held 
a  benefice  in  the  Church.  John  had 
two  sons  —  Colonel  WiUiam  Chaig- 
neau,  and  John,  Treasurer  of  the  Ord- 
nance. The  great-gi-andson  of  Ste- 
phen was  called  to  the  Irish  bar  in 
1793,  and  eventually  piu'chased  the  es- 
tate of  Beno^^^l,  in  county  Westmeath. 

CHAMBERLAYNE,  Peter,  M. 
D.,  a  physician  of  Paris,  who  fled  into 
England  at  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew. He  was  admitted  a  mem- 
ber of  the  college  of  physicians,  and 
obtained  an  extensive  practice  in  Lon- 
don, where  he  died. 


404 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


CHAMIER,  an  eminent  Protestant 
family,  originally  belonging  to  Avig- 
non. Daniel  Chamier,  who  was  killed 
in  1G21  in  the  defense  of  Montauban, 
then  besieged  by  Lonis  XIII.,  was  one 
of  the  ablest  theologians  of  his  time, 
and  a  leading  man  of  his  i)arty.  He 
drew  np  for  Henry  IV.  the  celebrated 
Edict  of  Nantes.  Several  of  his  de- 
scendants settled  in  England.  One 
was  minister  of  the  French  chm-ch  in 
Glass-House  Street,  London,  and  aft- 
erward of  the  Artillery  Chmxh.  His 
eldest  son,  also  called  Daniel,  emigra- 
ted to  Maryland,  U.  S.,  where  he  set- 
tled in  1753.  A  younger  son,  Antho- 
ny, a  director  of  the  French  Hospital, 
sat  for  Tamworth  in  Parliament  in 
1  772.     See  also  Des  Champs. 

CHAMPAGNJfi,  RoBiLLAED  de,  a 
nolile  family  in  Saintonge,  several  of 
^vhom  took  refuge  in  England  and 
Ireland.  The  children  of  Josias  de 
Kobillard,  chevalier  of  Champagne', 
under  charge  of  their  mother,  escaped 
from  La  Rochelle  concealed  in  empty 
wine-casks,  and  arrived  safe  at  Plym- 
outh. Their  father  went  into  Holland 
and  took  sen-ice  with  the  Prince  of 
Orange.  He  afterward  died  at  Bel- 
fast on  his  way  to  join  his  regiment  in 
Ireland.  Madame  de  Champagne  set- 
tled at  Portarlington  with  her  firmily. 
One  of  Champagne's  sons,  Josias,  was 
an  ensign  in  La  Melonniere's  regi- 
ment of  French  infantry,  and  fought 
at  the  Boyne.  He  afterward  became 
major  of  the  14th  Foot.  Several  of 
his  descendants  have  served  with  dis- 
tinction in  the  army,  the  Church,  and 
the  civil  senice,  while  the  daughters 
of  the  family  have  intermarried  with 
various  titled  families  in  England  and 
Ireland. 

CHAMPION,  see  Crespifjny. 

CHARDEVENNE,  a  Protestant 
family  belonging  to  Casteljaloux.  The 
first  eminent  person  of  the  name  was 
Antoine,  doctor  of  medicine,  who  aft- 
erward became  a  famous  preacher  and 
pastor,  first  at  Caumont,  and  after- 
ward at  Marennes.  At  the  Revocation 
the  members  of  his  family  liecame  dis- 
jjcrsed.  Some  of  them  went  to  North 
America  ;  in  172f  we  find  Pierre  (son 


of  the  pastor  above  named)  a  member 
of  the  Fi'ench  Chm-ch  at  New  York, 
while  others  fled  to  England,  and  es- 
tablished themselves  at  Hungerford. 

CHARLOT,  Charles,  better 
known  under  the  name  of  D'Argen- 
teuil,  was  a  Roman  CathoHc  cm-e'  con- 
verted to  Protestantism,  who  took  ref- 
uge in  England,  and  officiated  as  pas- 
tor in  several  of  the  London  churches. 
In  1 099  he  was  minister  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, with  Pierre  Rival  and  Cresar 
Pegorier  for  colleagues.  He  jniblish- 
ed  several  works  through  Duchemin, 
the  refugee  publisher. 

CHARPENTIER,  of  Ruf^ec,  in 
Angomnois,  a  martjT  in  1G85  to  the 
bnitality  of  the  dragoons  of  Louis 
XIV.  To  force  him  to  sign  his  abju- 
ration they  made  him  drink  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  glasses  of  water ; 
but  this  means  failing,  they  next 
dropped  into  his  eyes  the  hot  tallow 
of  a  lighted  candle.  He  died  in  great 
torture.  His  son  John  took  refuge  in 
England,  and  was  minister  of  the 
IMalthouse  Church,  Canterbinv,  in 
1710. 

CHASTELET,  Hippolyte,  a 
monk  of  La  Trappe,  who  left  that 
monastery  in  1G72,  and  took  refuge  in 
England,  where  he  accpiired  great 
fame  as  a  Protestant  preacher,  under 
the  name  of  Lusancy.  He  officiated 
for  a  time  as  pastor  of  the  church  in 
the  Savo}',  and  was  afterward  appoint- 
ed to  the  charge  of  the  French  church 
at  Harwich.  Lusancy  wrote  and  pub- 
lished a  life  of  Marshal  Schomberg, 
together  with  other  works,  principally 
poetr}-. 

CHATELAIN,  Henhv,  son  of 
Zachariah  Chatelain,  a  manufacturer 
of  gold  and  silver  lace  (see  notice  at  j). 
247),  who  fled  from  Paris  to  Holland, 
and  there  introduced  the  maiuifacture. 
Zachariah  had  mne  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Henry,  the  eldest  son, 
was  born  at  Paris  in  1684.  He  was 
educated  at  Leyden,  and  eventually 
decided  to  enter  the  Clmrch.  He 
came  over  to  England  in  1700,  and 
was  ordained  liy  the  Bishoi)  of  Lon- 
don. He  liecame  minister  of  the 
French  church  of  St.  Martin  Ongars 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


405 


ill  1711,  and  latterly  accepted  the  pas- 
torate of  the  ehm-ch  at  the  Hague, 
where  he  died  in  1743.  He  was  a 
most  eloquent  preacher,  as  well  as  a 
vigorous  writer.  He  wrote  the  life  of 
Claude,  as  well  as  of  Bernard,  and  a 
work  On  the  Excellence  of  the  Chris- 
tian Religion,  besides  six  volumes  of 
sermons. 

CHENEVIX,  a  distinguished  Lor- 
raine family,  which  became  dispersed 
throughout  Eiu-ope  at  the  Revocation. 
The  Be'ville  branch  of  the  family  set- 
tled in  Brandenbiu-g,  and  the  Epiy 
branch  in  England.  Philip  Chenevix 
was  minister  of  the  church  of  Limay, 
near  Mantes,  from  which  place  he  fled 
to  London.  One  of  his  sons  entered 
the  King's  Guards,  of  which  he  be- 
came colonel.  The  son  of  this  last 
was  for  thirty  years  Bishoj)  of  Water- 
f  )rd.  Another  member  of  the  flmiily, 
liichard,  was  a  distinguished  chemist, 
member  of  the  Royal  Society  in  1801, 
and  author  of  many  able  works  on  sci- 
ence, including  an  Essay  on  National 
Character.  For  notice  of  Raul  Chen- 
evix of  Metz,  brother  of  the  Rev. 
Philip  Chenevix  above  named,  see 
note  to  p.  154. 

CHERON,  Louis,  a  painter  and  en- 
graver who  to)ok  refuge  in  England  at 
the  Revocation,  and  died  in  London 
in  1723. 

CHEVALIER,  Antoine-Ro- 
I)  o  L  p  H  E,  a  zealous  Huguenot,  born 
at  Montchamps  in  1507.  When  a 
youth  he  was  compelled  to  fly  into  En- 
gland for  life.  He  comjileted  his  stud- 
ies at  Oxford,  and  being  recommended 
to  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  he  was  se- 
lected In"  him  to  teach  the  Princess 
(afterward  Queen)  Elizabeth  the 
French  language.  Chevalier  subse- 
(luently  held  the  professorshij)  of  He- 
brew at  Cambridge,  but  resigned  it  in 
ir)70  to  return  to  France.  He  was 
again  comjielled  to  fly  by  the  renewed 
persecution  at  the  time  of  the  Bar- 
tholomew massacre,  and  he  died  in 
exile  at  Guernsey  in  1.572.  He  was  a 
voluminous  author  on  classical  sub- 
jects. During  his  short  residence 
abroad,  he  left  liis  son  Samuel  at  Gen- 
eva, f.>r  tlie  jiurjjose  of  being  educated 


for  the  Church,  under  Theodore  de 
Beza.  On  the  re\aval  of  the  persecu- 
tions in  France,  Samuel  took  refuge  in 
England,  and  was  appointed  minister 
of  the  French  church  in  London  in 
1591,  and  afterward  of  the  Walloon 
church  at  Canterbury  in  1595.  Mr. 
Chevalier  Cobbold,  M.P.,  belongs  to 
this  family. 

CLAUDE,  Jean-Jacques,  a  young 
man  of  remarkable  talents,  grandson 
of  the  celebrated  French  preacher  at 
the  Hague.  He  was  appointed  pastor 
of  the  Walloon  church  in  Threadnee- 
dle  Street  in  1710,  but  died  of  small- 
pox a  few  years  later,  aged  only  twen- 
ty-eight. 

COLIGNON,  Abraham  de,  minis- 
ter of  Mens.  At  the  Revocation  he 
and  several  of  his  sons  took  refuge  in 
Hesse,  while  Paid  became  minister  of 
the  Dutch  church  in  Austin  Friars, 
London.  His  son  Charles  became 
professor  of  anatomy  and  medicine  at 
Cambridge,  and  Avas  known  as  the  au- 
thor of  several  able  works  on  those 
subjects. 

COLLOT  DE  L'ESCURY,  a  refu- 
gee officer  from  Noyon,  who  escaped 
from  France  through  Switzerland  into 
Holland  at  the  Revocation,  and  joined 
the  army  of  William  of  Orange.  He 
was  major  in  Schomberg's  regiment  at 
the  Boyne.  His  eldest  son  David  was 
a  captain  of  dragoons  ;  another,  Sim- 
eon, was  colonel  of  an  English  regi- 
ment, both  of  whose  sons  were  caj)- 
tains  of  foot.  Their  descendants  still 
sur\"ive  in  Ireland. 

COLOMlilS,  Jerome,  the  great 
pastor  and  preacher  of  Rochelle,  be- 
longed to  a  Bearnesc  family.  His 
grandson,  Paul,  the  celebrated  author, 
came  over  to  England  in  1G81,  and 
was  first  appointed  reader  in  the 
French  chm-ch  of  the  Savoy.  San- 
croft,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  aft- 
erward made  him  his  librarian.  Paul 
Cfilomies  was  the  author  of  mnnerous 
learned  works,  the  titles  of  nineteen  of 
which  are  given  by  Haag  in  Lu  France 
Protestante.  He  died  in  London, 
1G92. 

CONAUT,  JoHv,  son  of  a  Protest- 
ant refugee  from  Nonnandv  \\lio  had 


40G 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


settled  in  Devonshire.  He  studied  at 
Oxford,  entered  the  Chiu'ch,  and  was 
appointed  vicar  of  Yeahnpton,  Devon, 
in  which  office  Cromwell  continued 
him  diu-ing  the  Commonwealth.  In 
Ifiai  he  was  appointed  professor  of 
theology,  and  in  1657  vice-chancellor 
of  the  University  of  Oxford.  In  1670 
he  was  archdeacon  of  Norwich,  and  in 
It) 81  he  was  appointed  a  prebendary 
of  Worcester.     He  died  in  1693. 

CONSTANT,  a  Protestant  family 
of  Artois.  At  the  Revocation,  several 
of  them  fled  into  Switzerland,  others 
into  Holland,  and  took  service  under 
the  Prince  of  Orange.  Samuel, 
known  as  Baron  de  Constant,  served 
as  adjutant  general  uniler  Lord  Albe- 
marle in  1704,  and  afterward  fought 
under  Marlborough  in  all  tlie  great 
battles  of  the  jieriod.  His  son  David- 
Louis,  an  officer  in  the  same  service, 
was  wounded  at  Fontenoy.  Benjamin 
Constant,  the  celebrated  French  au- 
thor, belonged  to  this  family. 

CORCELLIS,  Nicholas,  son  of 
Zeager  Corcellis  of  RuseUer,  in  Flan- 
ders, who  took  refuge  in  England  from 
the  persecutions  of  the  Duke  of  Alva. 
Nicholas  became  a  prosperous  London 
merchant.  James  was  a  ]ihysician  in 
Londtm,  1 6G4. 

CORNAUD  DE  LA  CROZE,  a 
learned  refugee,  author  of  The  Works 
of  the  Learned,  The  History  of  Learn- 
in;/,  and  numerous  other  works. 

COSNE,  PiEHRE  i)K,  a  refugee 
gentleman  from  La  Beauce,  Orleans, 
who  settled  at  Southampton.  His  son 
Ruvigny  de  Cosne  entered  the  Cold- 
stream Guards,  and  rose  to  be  lieuten- 
ant colonel  in  the  British  army.  He 
was  afterward  secretary  to  tlie  French 
embassy,  and  embassador  at  the  Span- 
ish court. 

COSNE-CHAVERNEY,  dk,  an- 
ctther  branch  of  the  same  family. 
Cai)tain  de  Cosne -Chavernay  came 
over  with  the  Prince  of  Orange  in 
cmnninnd  of  a  company  of  gentlemen 
volunteers.  He  was  lieutenant  colo- 
nel of  Belcastel's  regiment  at  the  tak- 
ing of  Atlilonc  in  Ki'.il. 

COTTEREAU,  N.,  a  celebrated 
Protestant  horticulturist,  who  tied  into 


England  at  the  Revocation,  and  was 
appointed  one  of  the  gardeners  of  Wil- 
liam III.  Having  gone  into  France 
to  look  after  a  mamifactorj-  of  pipes 
which  he  had  established  at  Rouen,  he 
was  detected  encom-aging  the  Protest- 
ants there  to  stand  fast  in  the  faith. 
He  had  also  the  imprudence  to  A^Tite 
something  about  Madame  de  JNIainte- 
non  in  a  letter,  which  was  construed  as 
a  libel.  He  was  thereupon  seized  and 
thrown  into  the  Bastile,  where  he  lay 
for  many  years,  during  several  of  which 
he  was  insane.  The  converters  offer- 
ed him  liberty  if  he  would  abjure  his 
religion.  At  last  he  abjm-ed,  but  he 
was  not  released.  ' '  It  was  deemed 
just,  as  well  as  necessar}-,  that  Cotter- 
eau  should  remain  in  the  Bastile  and 
be  forgotten  there."  He  accordingly 
remained  there  a  prisoner  for  eighteen 
years,  until  he  died. 

COULAN,  Anthony,  a  refiigee 
pastor  from  the  Cevennes.  He  was 
for  some  time  minister  of  the  Glass- 
house Street  French  church  in  Lon- 
don.    He  died  in  1(]91. 

COURTEEN,  William,  the  son 
of  a  tailor  at  Menin  in  Flanders,  a 
refugee  in  England  from  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  Duke  of  7\.lva.  He  estab- 
lished himself  in  business,  with  his  son 
Peter  Boudeau,  in  Abchurch  Lane, 
and  is  said  to  have  owed  his  prosperity 
to  the  manufacture  of  French  lioods. 
His  son  became  Sir  AVilliam  Courteen, 
a  leading  merchant  of  the  city  of  Lon- 
don. His  descendants  also  married 
with  the  Bridgewater  and  other  noble 
families. 

COUSIN,  Jean,  a  refugee  ])astor 
from  Caen,  one  of  the  first  ministers 
of  the  Walloon  church  in  Loudon 
about  the  jear  \'>i')2.  He  returned 
to  France,  but  again  fled  back  to  En- 
gland after  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, and  died  in  Loudon. 

ClfAMAIi:^,  a  noble  family  of  La 
Rochelle.  The  three  brothers,  Crani- 
ahc,  De  LTsle,  and  Des  Roche>^,  made 
arrangements  to  escape  into  England 
at  the  Revocation.  The  two  f  .rmer 
siu'ceeded,  and  settled  in  this  country. 
Des  Roches  was  less  fortunate  ;  he  was 
detected  under  the  disguise  in  which  he 


HUGUEXOr  REFUGEES. 


407 


was  about  to  fly ;  was  flogged,  mal- 
treated, stripped  of  all  the  money  he 
had,  put  in  chains,  and  cast  into  a 
ilungeon.  After  being  transferred 
from  one  prison  to  another,  and  un- 
dergoing many  cruelties,  being  found 
an  obstinate  heretic,  he  was,  after 
twenty-seven  months'  imprisonment, 
banished  the  kingdom. 

CRAMER,  a  refugee  Protestant 
family  of  Strasburg,  some  of  whom 
.settled  in  Geneva,  where  Gabriel  Cra- 
mer, a  celebrated  physician,  became 
Dean  of  the  College  of  Medicine  in 
1077.  Jean-Louis  Cramer  held  the 
rank  of  captain  in  the  English  anny, 
and  sensed  with  distinction  in  the 
S])anish  campaign.  When  the  French 
army  occupied  Geneva  at  the  Revolu- 
tion, Jean-Antoine,  brother  of  the  pre- 
ceding, came  over  to  England  and  set- 
tled. His  second  son,  Jean-Antoine, 
was  a  professor  at  Oxford  and  Dean 
of  Carlisle.  He  was  the  author  of 
several  geographical  works.  Another 
member  of  this  family  was  Gabriel 
Cramer,  of  Geneva,  the  celebrated 
mathematician. 

C  RE  GUT,  a  refiigee  pastor  from 
Monte'limar,  >vho  officiated  as  minis- 
ter of  the  French  church  in  "Wheeler 
Street,  and  afterward  in  that  of  La 
Nouvelle  Patente,  London. 

CRESPIGNY,  Claude  Champion 
UE,  a  landed  proprietor  in  Normandy, 
who  fled  from  France  into  England 
with  his  fiimily  at  the  Revocation. 
He  was  related  by  mamage  to  the 
Pieqjoints,  who  hospitably  received 
the  fugitives.  Two  of  his  sons  enter- 
ed the  army ;  Gabriel  was  an  officer 
in  the  Guards,  and  Thomas  captain 
in  Hotham's  Dragoons.  The  gi-and- 
S(in  of  the  latter  had  two  sons  :  Philip 
Champion  de  Crespignv,  M.P.  for  Ald- 
J)ough,  1803,  and  Sir'Claiule  Cham- 
])ion  de  Crespigny,  created  baronet  in 
ISO.".. 

CROMMELIN,  Louis,  royal  su- 
perintendent of  the  linen  manufacture 
in  Ireland,  to  which  office  he  was  ap- 
])ointed  by  William  III.  For  notice 
of  him,  see  p.  285. 

CRUSO,  J'>HN,  a  refugee  from 
Hownescoat  in  Flanders,  who  settled 


in  Nonvich.  His  son  Timothy  be- 
came a  prosperous  merchant  in  Lon- 
don, and  founded  the  present  Norfolk 
family  of  the  Crusos. 

DAILLON,  James  de,  a  member 
of  the  illustrious  family  of  Du  Lude. 
He  entered  the  English  Church,  and 
held  a  benefice  in  Buckinghamshire 
toward  the  end  of  the  1 7th  century ; 
but,  ha>'ing  declared  in  favor  of  James 
II.,  he  was  deposed  from  his  office  in 
1(;!)8,  and  died  in  London  in  1726. 
His  brother  Benjamin  was  also  a  ref- 
ugee in  England,  and  held  the  office 
of  minister  in  the  church  of  La  Pa- 
tente which  he  helped  to  found. 

D ALBIAC  :  this  family  is  said  to 
deri\e  its  name  from  Albi,  the  capital 
of  the  countiy  of  the  Albigenses,  which 
A\as  destroyed  in  the  religious  cnisade 
against  that  people  in  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  D'Albiacs  fled  from 
thence  to  Nismes,  where  they  suffered 
heavily  for  their  religion,  especially 
after  the  Revocation.  Two  youthfid 
D'Albiacs  were  sent  to  England,  hav- 
ing been  smuggled  out  of  the  country 
in  hampers.  They  both  prospered 
and  founded  fomilies.  We  find  tlie 
names  of  their  descendants  occurring 
among  the  directors  of  the  French 
Hospital.  The  late  Lieutenant  Gen- 
eral Sir  J.  C.Dalbiac,  M.P.,  was  line- 
ally descended  from  one  of  the  sons, 
and  his  only  daughter  became  Duchess 
of  Roxburghe  bv  her  marriage  with 
the  duke  in  1 836. 

DALECHAMP,  Caleb,  a  refugee 
from  Sedan,  who  entered  the  English 
Church,  and  became  rector  of  FeiTiby 
in  Lincolnshire. 

DANSAYS,  Francis,  a  French 
refugee  at  Rye,  in  Sussex.  WiUiam 
was  a  jurat  of  that  to^^'Tl ;  he  died  in 
1  7S7.  The  fiimily  is  now  represented 
bv  the  Stonhams. 

■  DARGENT  or  DARGAN,  a  refu- 
gee family  from  Sancerre,  some  of  the 
members  of  which  settled  in  England 
and  Ireland  at  the  Revocation.  Two 
of  them  served  as  officers  in  William 
III.'s  Guards.  Two  brothers  were 
directors  of  the  French  Hospital  — 
John  in  1756,  and  James  in  1762. 

D'ARGENTELTL,  see  Chariot. 


408 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


DAUDE,  Peter,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  best  families  of  Maniejols  in 
the  Ge'vautlan.  He  came  to  England 
in  KiSO,  and  became  a  tntor  in  the 
Trevor  family,  after  which  he  ac- 
cepted a  clerkship  in  the  Exchequer, 
which  he  held  for  twenty-eight  years. 
He  was  a  very  learned,  but  an  ex- 
ceedingly diffident  and  eccentric  man. 
His  nephew,  also  named  Peter,  was  a 
minister  of  one  of  the  Fi"eneh  churches 
in  London. 

DAVID,  a  Protestant  family  of 
Rochelle,  many  members  of  which  fled 
from  France,  some  into  England,  and 
others  to  the  United  States  of  Ameri- 
ca. One,  John  Da^■id,  was  a  director 
of  the  French  Hospital  in  London  in 

\im. 

DE  JEAN,  Louis,  descended  from 
a  French  refugee,  was  colonel  of  the 
Gth  Dragoon  Guards,  and  eventually 
lieutenant  general. 

DE  LA  CHEROIS,  a  noble  family 
of  Languedoc,  seigneurs  of  Cherois, 
near  Sens.  Three  brothers  fled  into 
Holland  and  took  senice  under  the 
Prince  of  Orange.  Their  two  sisters 
afterward  fled  in  disguise  on  horse- 
back, accompanied  by  a  f  nthful  page, 
tra\-eling  alwaj's  by  i  ight,  and  con- 
cealing themselves  in  the  woods  dur- 
ing the  day.  The  brothers  followed 
the  fortunes  of  William  III.  ;  fought 
at  the  Bo}-ne,  where  one  of  them  was 
killed,  and  aftenvard  in  the  Low 
Countries.  The  two  remaining  broth- 
ers, Nicholas  and  Daniel,  eventually 
settled  at  Lisbuni  in  Ireland,  where 
they  married  two  daughters  of  Louis 
Crommelin.  Daniel  was  appointed 
governor  of  Pondicheriy  in  the  East 
Indies.  Nicholas  reached  the  rank 
of  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  British 
aiTny.  Their  descendants  still  exist 
in  Ireland. 

DE  LAINE,  Peter,  a  French  ref- 
ugee, who  fled  into  England  before 
the  Revocation,  and  obtained  letters 
of  denization  dated  IfiSl.  He  was 
appointed  French  tutor  to  the  chil- 
dren of  tlie  Duke  of  York,  afterward 
James  II. 

DE  LA  MOTHE,  see  Mothe. 

DELAUNE,  a  refugee  family  from 


Normandy,  who  took  refuge  in  En- 
gland as  early  as  loOS,  when  a  De- 
laune  officiated'  as  minister  of  the 
Walloon  chm'ch  in  London.  Anoth- 
er, in  lfil8,  held  the  office  of  minister 
of  the  Walloon  church  at  Nonvich. 
Thomas  Delaune  was  a  considerable 
writer  on  religious  and  controversial 
subjects. 

DE  LAVALADE:  this  fnnily 
possessed  large  estates  in  Languedoc. 
Several  memliers  of  them  succeeded 
in  escaping  into  Holland,  and  after- 
ward proceeded  to  Ireland,  settling  in 
Lisbuni.  M.  de  La\'alade  was  forty 
years  pastor  of  the  French  church 
there. 

DELEMAR.  De  la  Mek,  Del- 
MEK,  a  Protestant  refugee  family  at 
Canterbury-,  ^\-llose  names  are  of  fre- 
quent occun'ence  in  tlio  register  of 
that  church.  Their  descendants  are 
nimierous,  and  enjoy  good  positions  in 
society. 

DELME,  Philii',  minister  of  the 
Walloon  congregation,  Canterburj-, 
whose  son  Peter  settled  in  London  as 
a  merchant,  and  ■whose  grandson.  Sir 
Peter,  ancestor  of  the  present  family 
of  Delme'  Radcliff"e,  was  lord -mayor 
of  London  in  1 723. 

DE  LOA^AL,  VicoMTE,  ])ossessor 
of  large  estates  in  Picardy,  who,  after 
heavy  persecution,  fled  at  the  Revo- 
cation, and  took  refuge  in  Ireland, 
settling  at  Portarlington.  His  son 
was  an  officer  in  tlie  British  armv. 

DE  MOIVRE,  AnR.vHAM,  F.R.S. 
For  notice,  see  p.  235. 

DESAGULIERS,  Dr.  For  no- 
ticG  SGG  p.  284. 

DES  CHAMPS,  John,  a  native 
of  Bergerac,  lielonging  to  an  ancient 
family  established  in  Perigord.  At 
the  Revocation  he  took  refuge,  first 
in  Geneva,  and  then  in  Prussia.  Of 
his  sons,  one  liecanie  minister  of  the 
church  at  Berlin,  while  another  came 
over  to  England  and  became  minister 
of  the  church  of  tlie  Savoy,  in  which 
office  he  dioil  in  1  li\~.  The  son  of 
the  latter,  John  Ezckiel,  entered  the 
civil  senice  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, and  became  member  of  Council 
of  the  Presideucv  of  Madras,     He  ul- 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


409 


timately  took  tlie  name  of  Chumier, 
having  been  left  sole  heir  to  Antho- 
iiy  Chamier.  By  his  mamage  with 
Georgiana  Grace,  daughter  of  Admi- 
ral Bumaby,  he  had  a  numerous  fam- 
ily. One  of  his  sons  is  Captain  Fred- 
erick Chamier,  the  novelist  and  nau- 
tical annalist. 

DES  MAISEAUX,  Peter,  a  na- 
tive of  Axivei'gne,  born  in  I(>6G,  the 
son  of  a  Protestant  minister  who  took 
refuge  in  England.  Little  is  known 
of  Des  Maiseaux's  personal  histoiy 
beyond  that  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Society,  a  friend  of  Saint  Evre- 
mond,  and  a  voluminous  author.  He 
died  in  1  745. 

DES  ORMEAUX,  also  named 
Colin  des  Ormeaux,  a  Rochelle 
family.  At  the  Revocation  several 
members  of  it  settled  at  Nonvich. 
One  Catharine  Colin  was  married  to 
Thomas  le  Chevalier  in  1727.  Ga- 
briel Colin  was  minister  of  Thoi'pe-le- 
Soken  from  1707  to  1714.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  Jacques  Louis  des 
OiTneaux,  was  elected  a  director  of 
the  French  Hospital  in  1 7!l8. 

DES  VCEUX,  ViNCHON,  second 
son  of  De  Bacquencoirrt,  president  of 
the  Parliament  of  Rouen.  He  took 
refuge  in  Dublin,  where  he  became 
minister  of  the  French  church.  In 
conjmiction  with  the  Rev.  Peter  Droz, 
he  commenced,  about  1742,  the  pub- 
lication of  the  first  literaiy  joumal 
which  appeared  in  Ireland.  He  aft- 
envard  removed  to  Portarlington. 
The  present  head  of  the  family  is  Sir 
C.  Des  Voeux,  Bart. 

DEVAYNES,  William,  M.P., 
descended  from  a  Huguenot  refugee. 
He  was  a  director  of  the  East  India 
Company,  a  director  of  the  French 
Hospital,  and  was  elected  for  Barn- 
staple in  1 774. 

DE  VEILLE,  Hans,  a  refugee 
who  entered  the  English  Church,  and 
Avas  made  libraiy  keeper  at  Lambeth 
by  Archbishop  Tillotson.  His  son 
Thomas  entered  the  English  anny  as 
a  private,  and  was  sent  with  his  regi- 
ment to  Portugal.  Then  he  rose  by 
merit  to  the  command  of  a  tniop  of 
dragoons.     On  his  retmii  to  London 


he  was  appointed  a  London  justice, 
an  office  then  paid  by  fees ;  and  his 
conduct  in  the  riots  of  1735  was  so 
much  a})i)roved  that  he  received  the 
honor  of  knighthood.  He  was  also 
colonel  of  the  Westminster  militia. 

DOLLOND,  John.  For  notice, 
see  p.  ;'>2.->. 

LRELINCOURT,  Peter,  son  of 
Charles  Drelincouit,  one  of  the  ablest 
preachers  and  writers  among  the 
French  Protestants.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Geneva,  and  aftenvard  came 
to  England,  where  he  entered  the  En- 
glish Church,  and  eventually  became 
dean  of  Armagh. 

DU  BOIS  or  DU  BOUAYS,  a 
Protestant  family  of  Brittany,  of 
whom  many  members  came  over  to 
Englarid.  and  settled  at  an  early  pe- 
ri(jd  at  Thcrney,  Canterbun^,  Nor- 
wich, and  London.  Others  of  the 
name  came  from  French  Flanders. 

DUBOUCIIET,  an  illustrious 
Huguenot  family  of  Poitou,  several 
of  whose  members  took  refuge  in 
England.  One  of  them,  Pierre,  of- 
ficiated as  minister  of  the  French 
church  at  Plymouth  between  1733 
and  1  7;^- 7. 

DU  EOULAY,  a  family  descended 
from  the  Marquis  dArgenton  de  Bou- 
lay,  a  Hrguenot  refugee  in  Hilland  in 
1(18.'^.  His  grandson  was  minister  nf 
the  Fienih  church  in  Threadneedle 
Street,  London.  The  family  is  now 
re]:>resen(cd  ly  Du  Boulay,  cf  Den- 
head  Hail  \\iltshire. 

DUBOURDIEU,  a  noble  Prot- 
estant family  of  Beam.  Isaac  was 
for  some  time  minister  of  the  Savoy 
church,  London.  His  son,  John  Ar- 
mand,  after  having  been  mii.ister  at 
Montpellier,  took  refuj/e  in  England, 
and  also  became  one  cf  the  ministers 
of  the  church  in  the  Savoy.  His 
grandson  was  the  last  pastor  cf  the 
French  church  at  Lisbuni,  and  after- 
ward rector  of  Annahilt  in  Ireland. 
For  notice  of  the  Dubourdieus,  see  p. 
248,  and  notes  to  p.  253  and  289. 

DU  BUIS.SON,  Francis,  a  doctor 
of  the  Sorbonne.  Becoming  convert- 
ed to  Protestantism,  he  fled  into  En- 
gland at  the  time  of  the  massacre  of 


410 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


St.  Bartholomew,  and  became  minis- 
ter of  the  French  church  at  Rye. 

DU  CAEEL,  AxDREw-CoLTEE,  a 
refugee  who  accompanied  his  parents 
from  Caen  into  Enghmd  at  the  revival 
of  religious  persecution  in  France  in 
1 72i.  He  studied  at  Eton  and  Oxford. 
In  1  7.") 7  he  was  appointed  archbishop's 
librarian  at  Lambeth,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing ye.ir  he  was  sent  to  Canter- 
bury, where  he  held  an  important  ap- 
j)ointm3nt  in  the  record  office.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  antiquarian  learn- 
ing, and  published  numerous  works  on 
classical  antiqmties. 

DU  CROS,  John,  a  refugee  from 
Dauphiny.  In  1711  his  son  was  min- 
ister of  the  Savoy. 

DU  JON,  a  noble  family  of  Berri, 
several  members  of  whom  took  refuge 
in  England.  Francis,  son  of  a  refugee 
at  Leyden,  where  he  studied,  was  ap- 
jiointed  librarian  to  the  Earl  of  Arun- 
del, and  held  the  othce  fur  thirty  years. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  study  of  Anglo-Saxon,  and 
published  several  works  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

DU  MOULIN,  an  ancient  and  no- 
ble ftimily  of  the  Isle  of  France,  that 
lias  fimiished  dignitaries  to  the  Roman 
V  hurch  as  well  as  produced  many  em- 
inent Protestant  writers.  Charles  du 
Moulin,  the  eminent  French  juriscon- 
sult, declared  himself  a  Frotestant  in 
1 .")  12.  Pierre  du  Moulin  belonged  to 
another  branch  of  the  family.  He  was 
only  four  years  old  at  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  and  was  saved  by 
an  old  servant  of  his  father.  In  his 
youth  he  studied  at  Sedan,  and  after- 
ward at  Oxford  and  Leyden.  At  the 
latter  University  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  philosophy  when  only  in 
liis  twenty-fourth  year.  Grotius  was 
among  his  pupils.  Seven  years  later 
he  was  "called"  by  the  great  Protest- 
ant church  at  Charenton,  near  Paris, 
and  acce])ted  the  invitation  to  be  their 
minister.  He  officiated  there  for  twen- 
ty-four years,  during  which  he  often 
iucurreil  great  peril,  having  had  his 
house  twice  jiillaged  by  the  populace. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  jjersecution  in 
the  reign  of  Louis  XIII.  he  acce])ted 


the  invitation  of  James  I.  to  settle  tn 
England,  where  he  was  received  with 
every  honor.  The  king  appointed  him 
a  prebendary  of  Canterbury,  and  the 
University  of  Cambridge  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  D.D.  He  aft- 
erward returned  to  Paris  to  assist  in 
the  conferences  of  the  Protestant 
Church,  and  died  at  Sedan  at  the  age 
of  ninety.  His  two  sons,  Peter  and 
Louis,  both  settled  in  England.  The 
former  was  preacher  to  the  University 
of  Oxford  in  the  time  of  the  Common- 
wealth. In  IGGO  Charles  II.  appoint- 
ed him  one  of  his  chaplains  as  well  as 
]5rebendary  of  Canterbury.  Louis,  on 
the  other  hand,  who  had  officiated  as 
Camden  Professor  of  History  at  Ox- 
ford during  the  Commonwealth,  was 
turned  out  of  his  office  on  the  Resto- 
ration, and  retired  to  Westminster, 
where  he  continued  for  the  rest  of  his 
life  an  exti'eme  Presbyterian.  Both 
brothers  ■»\ere  voluminous  authors. 

DUNCAN,  a  Scotch  famih-  natu- 
ralized in  France  at  the  beginning  of 
the  17th  century.  Mark  Duncan  was 
Protestant  professor  of  i)liilosophy  and 
Greek  at  Saumur.  One  of  his  sons, 
Sainte-He'lene,  took  refuge  in  Lon- 
don, where  he  died  in  1  (!'.)7.  Another 
descendant  of  the  family,  Daniel,  was 
celebrated  as  a  chemist  and  physician, 
and  -wrote  several  able  works  on  his 
fiivorite  subjects.  His  son  Daniel  was 
the  last  pastor  of  the  French  .church 
at  Bideford,  where  he  died  in  17G1. 
He  was  also  celebrated  as  a  writer  on 
religious  subjects. 

DUPIN,  Pail,  an  eminent  paper 
manufacturer  who  estal)lished  himself 
in  England  after  the  Revocation,  and 
carried  on  a  large  paper-mill  ^^•ith 
great  success. 

DU  PLE-^M  ■?,  Jacqces,  chaplain 
of  the  French  Hospital  in  1 750.  An- 
other of  the  name,  Francis,  was  min- 
ister of  La  Nouvelle  Patente  and 
Wheeler  Street  chajiels,  London — of 
the  latter  in  1720. 

DU  PORT,  a  Protestant  family  of 
Poitou,  several  members  of  whom  took 
refuge  in  lOngland.  One  of  them, 
James,  was  pastor  of  the  French  Wal- 
loon church  in  London  in  lo'JO.     His 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


411 


son,  of  the  same  name,  filled  the  office 
of  professor  of  Greek  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Cambridge  with  great  distinc- 
tion. In  KKJO  he  was  appointed  dean 
of  Peterborough  and  chaplain  to  the 
king.  He  ^^•as  the  author  of  several 
learned  works,  and  died  in  \C>1\). 

1)U  PUY,  a  Protestant  family  of 
Languedoc.  At  the  Revocation,  tlic 
lirothers  Philip  and  iJavid  entered  tlie 
army  of  William  of  Orange.  They 
-were  both  officers  in  his  guards,  and 
were  both  killed  at  the  Boyne.  An- 
other brother,  Samuel,  was  also  an  of- 
ficer in  the  British  army,  and  served 
with  distinction  in  the  Low  Countries. 

DU  QUESNE,  AuRAHAM,  second 
son  of  the  celebrated  admiral,  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Erench  na\y,  settled  in 
Lngland  after  the  Revocation,  and 
died  there.  His  son  Thomas  Roger 
was  prebendary  of  Ely  and  ^■icar  of 
East  Tuddenham,  Norfolk.  Another 
branch  of  the  family  of  Du  Quesne  or 
Du  Cane  settled  in  England  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  One  of  their  de- 
scendants was  an  alderman  of  Lon- 
don. From  this  brancli  the  Du  Canes 
of  Essex  are  descended,  the  head  of 
whom  is  the  present  ( 'harle.j  du  Cane, 
INI.  P. ,  of  Braxted  Park. 

DURAXU,  a  noble  family  of  Dau- 
])hiny.  Several  ministers  of  the  name 
officiated  in  Erench  churches  in  En- 
gland— one  at  Bristol  and  others  in 
London.  One  Francis  Durand,  from 
Alen^on,  a  convert  from  Romanism, 
^\as  minister  of  the  French  church  at 
Canterbury  in  1707. 

DL'RANT:  several  members  of  this 
Huguenot  family  sat  in  Parliament. 
Thomas  sat  for  Kt.  Ives  in  1 7(!8,  and 
George  for  Evesham. 

DURA8,  B-VRON,  see  Dur/ort. 

DURFEi',  Thomas,  born  at  Exe- 
ter about  the  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  son  of  a  Erench 
refugee  from  Rochelle,  well  known  as 
a  song-writer  and  dramatic  author. 

DURFORT  DE  DLTIVS,  an  an- 
cient Protestant  family  of  (juienne. 
Louis,  marquis  of  Blantiaefort,  came 
over  to  England  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
II. ,  and  was  well  receixed  by  that  mon- 
arch, who  created  him  Baron  de  Du- 


ras,  and  employed  him  as  embassador 
extraordinary  at  Paris.  James  II. 
created  him,  though  a  Protestant, 
Earl  of  Faversham,  and  gave  him  the 
coirimand  of  the  army  which  he  sent 
against  the  Duke  of  Monmoutli.  He 
died  in  I70i).  The  Erench  church 
which  he  founded  at  Faversham  did 
not  long  sur^ixe  him. 

DUROURE,  Francis,  scion  of  an 
ancient  family  in  Languedoc.  His 
two  sons  became  officers  in  the  En- 
glish army.  fc'cipio  was  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  12th  Foot,  and  was 
killed  at  Fontenoy.  Alexander  \\as 
colonel  of  the  4th  Foot,  and  rose  to  be 
lieutenant  general. 

DURY,  Paul,  an  eminent  officer 
of  engineers,  who  entered  the  senice 
of  William  III.,  from  which  he  ])assed 
into  that  of  the  Elector  of  Hesse. 
Two  of  his  sons  served  with  distinc- 
tion in  the  English  army ;  the  elder, 
of  the  regiment  of  La  Melonniere,  was 
killed  at  the  Boyne. 

DU  SOUL,  Moses,  a  refugee  from 
Tours,  knox\'n  in  England  as  a  trans- 
lator and  philologist  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighteenth  century. 

DU  TEMS,  Louis,  a  refugee  from 
Tours,  historiographer  to  tlie  king  of 
England,  member  of  the  Royal  Soci- 
ety and  of  the  French  Academy  of  In- 
scriptions. HaA"ing  entered  the  En- 
glish Church,  he  was  presented  with 
the  living  of  Elsdon  in  Xorthianber- 
land.  He  M^as  the  author  of  many 
well-known  works. 

DUVAL.  Many  refugees  from 
Rouen  of  this  name  settled  in  En- 
gland, and  several  were  ministers  of 
French  churches  in  London.  Several 
have  been  governors  of  the  French 
Hospital. 

EMERIS.  A  refugee  family  cf 
this  name  fled  out  of  France  at  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  pur- 
chased a  small  pro]jerty  in  Norfolk, 
xx'hich  descended  from  father  to  son, 
and  is  still  in  the  ])ossession  of  the 
family,  at  present  represented  by  W. 
R.  Emeris,  Esq.,  of  Louth,  Lincoln- 
shire. 

ESPAGNE,  John  d",  a  refugee 
from  Dauphiny,  some  lime  minister 


412 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


of  Somerset  House  French  church,  in 
London  ;  the  author  of  numerous  re- 
ligious works. 

EVREMOND,  Charles  de  St. 
Dexys,  Seigneur  de  Ste.  Evre- 
MOND,  a  refugee  gentleman  of  wit  and 
I>ravery,  who  served  with  distinction 
nnder  Turenne  and  Conde.  His  sa- 
tirical luunor  lost  him  tlie  friendship 
of  liis  patrons,  and  provoked  tlie  en- 
mity of  Louis  XIV.,  who  ordered  his 
arrest.  Having  received  timely  no- 
tice, Evremond  fled  first  into  Ger- 
many and  Holland,  and  afterward  into 
England,  where  he  became  a  great  fa- 
vorite with  Charles  II.,  who  gave  liim 
a  ])ension.  In  1078,  an  order  in 
Council  Avas  passed  directing  returns 
to  be  made  of  foreigners  then  in  En- 
gland, and  among  them  appears  the 
following,  doubtless  that  of  our  French 
seigneur :  "  Nov.  23, 1678.  Ste.  E\Te- 
mond,  chasse  de  France  il  y  a  long 
temps,  est  venu  d'aboi'd  en  Angleterre, 
de  la  il  est  alle  en  L'landre,  de  Flandre 
en  Allemagne,  d'Allemagne  en  Hol- 
lande,  de  Holl.inde  il  est  revenu  en 
Angleterre,  on  il  est  presentement,  ne 
j)0uvant  retourner  en  son  pais  ;  il  n"a 
qu'un  valet  nonanc'  Gasjiard  Girrard 
ilammand  de  nation.  Je  suis  logo 
dans  St.  Alban's  Street  au  coin. — -j''- 
EvTemond." — \_Statc  Papers,  Domes- 
tic, various,  No.  G,)-l.]  Ste.  Evremond 
was  not  a  Protestant,  nor  would  he  be 
a  Catholic.  Indeed,  he  seems  to  have 
!)3eu  indifferent  to  religion.  His  let- 
ters are  among  the  most  brilliant 
specimens  of  that  style  of  composition 
in  whicli  tlie  French  so  much  excel ; 
but  his  otlier  works  are  almost  forgot- 
ten. Des  Maiseaux,  another  refugee, 
published  them  in  three  vols,  quarto 
in  170."),  afterward  translating  the 
whole  into  English. 

EYNAMI),  a  refugee  family  of  Dau- 
jihiny.  Anthony  entered  the  British 
army,  and  served  with  distinction,  dy- 
ing in  17ol).  Ilis  lirother  Simon  be- 
gan Inisiness  in  London,  and  acquired 
a  consideralile  fortune  by  his  industry. 
A  sister,  Louise,  married  the  refugee 
Gideon  Ageron,  who  also  settled  in 
England. 

FARGUES,    J.vcQUES     de,    a 


wealthy  apothecary,  belonging  to  one 
of  the  best  families  of  Montpellier. 
In  1  r)69  his  house  was  pillaged  by  the 
populace,  while  he  himself  was  con- 
demned to  death  because  of  his  relig- 
ion, and  hanged.  His  family  fled  to 
England,  where  their  descendants  still 
exist. 

FLEURY,  Louis,  Protestant  pas- 
tor of  Tours,  who  fled  into  England 
in  1683.  His  son,  Philip  Amauret, 
went  over  to  Ireland  as  a  Protestant 
minister,  and  settled  there.  His  son, 
gi'andson  of  the  refugee,  liecame  vicar- 
choral  of  Lismore ;  and  the  great- 
grandson  of  the  refugee,  George  Lew- 
is Fleuiy,  became  archdeacon  of  Wa- 
terford. 

FONNEREAU.  Three  members 
of  this  famih',  descended  from  a  Hu- 
guenot refugee  —  Z  a  chary  Philij>, 
Thomas,  and  Martin — sat  in  Parlia- 
ment successively  for  Aldborough  in 
1768,  1773,  .and  1774. 

FONTAINE,  James,  M.A.  and  J. 
P.     For  notice  of,  see  p.  2!)  I . 

FORET,  Mahquis  de  la,  a  major 
general  in  the  British  army,  who 
served  in  the  Irish  campaign  of  Id"..".). 

FOLiliESTIEH,  or  Fokkestek. 
There  were  several  refugees  of  this 
name  in  England.  Peter  Forrester 
was  minister  of  the  French  church. 
La  Nouvelle  Patente,  in  1708.  Paul 
was  minister  of  the  French  church  at 
Canterbury ;  and  another  was  minis- 
ter of  that  at  Dartmouth.  Alexander 
was  a  director  of  the  French  Hospital 
in  1 7.'>r> ;  and  James  was  a  captain  in 
the  British  army. 

FOURDRINIER,  Henkv,  the  in- 
ventor of  the  pa])er-making  machine. 
He  was  descended  from  one  of  the 
numerous  industrial  families  of  tlie 
north  of  France  who  fled  into  Holland 
at  the  Revocation.  From  Holland 
Fourdrinier's  fother  jjassed  into  En- 
gland about  the  middle  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  and  established  a  pa) ler 
manufactoiy.  The  first  idea  of  the 
paper -making  machine  belonged  to 
I'^rance,  but  Fourdrinier  fully  devel- 
ojied  it,  and  embodied  it  in  a  working 
plan.  He  labored  at  his  invention  for 
seven  years,  during  which  he  was  as- 


•    HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


413 


sisted  by  his  brother  Sealy  and  John 
Gamble.     It  was  perfected  in  180i). 

GAGNIER,  John,  a  celebrated 
Orientalist  scholar,  who,  becoming 
converted  to  Protestantism,  fled  from 
France  into  England.  The  Bishop 
of  Worcester  appointed  him  his  chap- 
lain. In  1715  he  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Oriental  Languages  at  Ox- 
ford. His  son  took  the  degree  of  M. 
A.,  and  was  appointed  rector  of 
Stranton  in  the  diocese  of  Durham. 
Durham. 

GAL  WAY,  Earl  of.  See  p.  217, 
301. 

GAME  IE  R,  a  French  refugee  fom- 
ily  settled  at  Canterbury,  the  name 
very  frequently  occurring  in  the  reg- 
isters of  the  French  church  there. 
James  Gambler,  born  1692,  became 
distinguished  as  a  barrister  :  he  was  a 
director  of  the  French  Hospital  in 
1  7211.  He  had  two  sons,  James  and 
John.  The  former  rose  to  be  a  vice- 
admiral,  the  second  Itecame  governor 
of  the  B.ihama  Islands,  where  his  son 
James,  afterward  Lord  Gambler,  was 
born.  1 751).  He  e;irly  entered  the 
royal  navy,  and  rose  successively  to 
the  ranks  of  post-captain,  vice-admi- 
ral, and  adnairal.  He  was  created  a 
peer  for  his  sernces  in  1807.  His 
elder  brother  Samuel  was  a  commis- 
sioner of  tlie  navy ;  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  held  high  rank  in 
the  same  service. 

GARENCIERES,  Theophilus 
DE,  a  doctor  of  medicine,  native  of 
Caen,  who  came  over  to  England  as 
physician  to  the  French  embassador, 
and  embraced  Protestantism.  He 
was  the  author  of  several  medical 
works. 

GARRET,  Mark,  afterward  called 
Gerrard,  the  portrait  painter,  a  refu- 
gee from  Bruges  in  Flanders,  from 
whence  he  was  driven  over  into  En- 
glind  by  the  religious  persecutions  in 
tlie  Low  Countries.  He  was  king's 
painter  in  1G18. 

GARRIGUE,  see  Bouffard. 

GASTIGNY,  founder  of  the  French 
Hospital  in  London.  For  notice,  see 
p.  280. 

G  A  US  SEN:   there  were  several 


branches  of  this  distinguished  Prot- 
estant family  in  France.  Haag  men- 
tions those  of  Saumur,  Burgundy, 
Guienne,  and  Languedoc.  David 
Gaussen,  who  took  refuge  in  Ireland 
in  1(J85,  belonged  to  the  Guienne 
branch.  His  descendants  still  flour- 
ish at  Antrim,  Belfast,  and  Dultlin. 
The  Gaussens  who  settled  in  England 
were  from  Languedoc.  John  Gaus- 
sen fled  to  Geneva  at  the  Revocation. 
Of  his  sons,  Peter  and  Francis  came 
to  England,  Avhere  ^ve  find  the  former 
a  director  of  the  French  Hospital  in 
1741,  treasurer  in  1745,  and  sub-gov- 
ernor in  1756.  A  nephew  cf  these 
two  brothers,  named  Peter,  joined 
them  in  1731),  in  his  sixteenth  year. 
He  rose  to  eminence  as  a  merchant ; 
became  governor  of  the  Bank  of  En- 
gland, and  a  director  of  the  East  In- 
dia Company.  By  his  maiTiage  with 
Miss  Bosanquet  he  had  a  fiimily  of 
sons  and  daughters,  among  whom  may 
be  mentioned  Samuel-Robert,  colonel 
in  the  army,  high  sheriff  of  Hertford, 
and  member  of  Parliament.  Like 
other  members  of  his  family,  he  also 
held  the  office  of  director  of  the  French 
Hospital.  The  Gaussens  are  still  hon- 
orably known  in  London  life. 

GAUTIER,  N.,  a  physician  of  Ni- 
ort,  who  took  refuge  in  England  at 
the  Revocation.  He  was  the  author 
of  several  religious  books. 

GENESTE,  Louis,  the  owner  of  a 
large  estate  in  Guienne,  viiiich  he  for- 
feited by  adhering  to  the  Protestant 
religion.  He  first  fled  into  Holland 
and  took  ser^•ice  under  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  whom  he  accompanied  into 
England  and  Ireland,  and  fought  in 
the  battle  of  the  Boyne  in  the  regi- 
ment of  Lord  Lifford.  After  the  pa- 
cification of  Ireland,  Geneste  settled 
at  Lisburn,  and  left  behind  him  two 
sons  and  a  daughter,  among  whose  de- 
scendants may  be  particularized  the 
names  of  Hugh  Stowell  and  Geneste, 
well  known  in  the  Christian  world. 

GEORGES,  Paul.  Two  refugees 
of  this  name  were  ministers  of  the 
French  church  at  Canterbur3^  One 
of  them,  from  Chartres,  was  minister 
in  1G30.     The  other,  a  native  of  Pic- 


4U 


HUG  UENO  T  REF  UGEES. 


ardv,  died  in  IGS'J,  after  a  ministry 
of  42  years. 

GERVAISE,  Louis,  a  large  ho- 
siery merchant  at  Paris,  an  elder  of 
the  Protestant  church  there.  At  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict,  though  sev- 
enty years  of  age,  he  was  incarcerated 
in  the  Abbey  of  Gannat,  from  wliich 
he  was  transferred  to  that  of  Saint 
Magloire,  then  to  the  Oratoiy,  and 
after  that  to  the  convent  of  Lagny 
and  the  castle  of  Angoideme.  All 
metliods  of  converting  him  having 
fliiled,  he  was  finally  banished  from 
France  in  l(iS8,  when  he  took  refuge 
in  London  with  his  brother  and  his 
son,  who  had  succeeded  in  escaping 
before  him. 

GIEERT,  Etiexne,  one  of  the  last 
refugees  from  France  for  conscience' 
sake.  He  labored  for  some  time  as  a 
pastor  of  the  "  Church  in  the  Desert ;" 
but  the  Bishop  of  Salutes  having 
planned  his  capture,  he  fled  into  Switz- 
erland. Afterward,  in  1708,  we  find 
him  attending  a  secret  synod  in  France 
as  deputy  of  Saintonge ;  but  at  length, 
in  1771,  he  fled  into  England.  He 
was  minister  of  the  French  church  of 
La  Patente  in  London  in  1776,  and 
afterward  of  the  Royal  Chapel  of  St. 
James.  He  was  finally  presented  with 
the  rectory  of  St.  Andrew's  in  the  isl- 
and of  Guernsey,  where  he  died  in 
1817. 

GOSSET,  a  Huguenot  family  who 
took  refuge  in  Jersey,  and  nftenvard 
in  London.  Isaac  Gosset  invented  a 
composition  of  wax,  in  which  he  mod- 
eled portraits  in  an  exquisite  manner. 
His  son,  the  Rev.  Isaac  Gosset,  D.I)., 
F.R.S.,  w.as  eminent  as  a  preacher, 
biblical  critic,  and  book-collector.  He 
died  in  1812. 

GOULARD,  James,  Marquis  of 
Veuvans,  a  Huguenot  refugee  in  En- 
gland, who  died  there  in  1700.  The 
marchioness,  his  wife,  was  apprehend- 
ed when  about  to  set  out  to  join  her 
husband.  She  was  shut  up  in  the  con- 
vent of  the  Ursulines  at  Angoideme, 
from  ■which  she  was  successivel}'  trans- 
ferred to  the  jVbbey  of  Puyberlan  in 
Poitou,  to  the  Abbey  of  the  Trinity  at 
Poitiers,  and  finally  to  Port-Royal. 


Her  courage  at  length  succumbed  and 
she  conformed,  thereby  securing  pos- 
session of  the  estates  of  her  husband. 

(jOYEK,  Peter,  a  refugee  manu- 
facturer fi'om  Picardy,  \\\\o  settled  at 
Lisburn  in  Ireland.  For  notice  of 
him,  see  p.  28!). 

GKAVEROL,  John,  bom  at 
N'ismes,  1647.  of  a  famous  Protestant 
fomily.  He  early  entered  the  minis- 
try, and  became  jiastor  of  a  church  at 
Lyons.  He  fled  from  France  at  the 
Revocation,  and  took  refuge  in  Lou- 
don. He  was  ]iastor  of  the  French 
churches  in  Swallow  Street  and  the 
Quarrd.  Graverol  was  a  voluminous 
author. 

GROSTETE,  Claude,  a  refugee 
pastor  in  London,  minister  of  the 
French  church  in  the  Savov. 

G R( )TE  or  DH  i  R( )( )f .  For  no- 
tice of  family,  see  ]'.  ;110. 

GUALY,  a  Piotestant  family  of 
Rouergue.  Peter,  son  of  the  Sieur  ile 
la  Gineste,  fled  into  England  at  the 
Revocation,  with  his  wife  and  three 
children  —  Paul.  Francis,  and  Marga- 
ret. Paul  entered  the  English  army, 
and  died  a  major  general.  Francis 
also  entered  the  army,  and  eventually 
settled  at  Dublin,  where  his  descend- 
ants survi\e. 

GUERIN,  a  French  refugee  family 
long  settled  at  Rye,  now  represented 
by  the  Crofts. 

GUIDE,  Philip,  a  French  jthysi- 
cian  of  Paris,  a  native  of  Chulous-sur- 
Saone,  who  took  refuge  in  I^ondon  at 
the  Revocation.  He  was  the  author 
of  several  medical  works. 

GUILLEMARD,  John,  a  refugee 
in  London  from  Champdeniers,  where 
he  had  been  minister.  His  descend- 
ants have  been  directors  of  the  French 
Hospital  at  different  times. 

GUILLOT.  Several  members  of 
this  fiimily  were  olficers  in  the  nuAV 
of  Louis  XIV.  They  emigrated  to 
Holland  at  the  Revocation,  and  were 
])resented  by  the  Prince  of  Orange 
Avith  commissions  in  his  navy.  Their 
descendants  settled  in  Lisburn  in 
Ireland.  Others  of  the  same  name 
— Guillot  and  Gillett — of  like  French 
extraction,  settled  i.i  England,  wlie.o 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


4i; 


their  descendants  are  still  to  be  found 
at  Birmingham  and  Sheffield,  as  well 
as  at  Glastoubmy,  Exeter,  and  Ban- 
bury. 

GUYON  1)E  GEIS,  William  de, 
son  of  the  Sieur  de  Pampelona,  a 
Protestant,  fled  into  Holland  at  the 
Revocation.  He  took  service  under 
William  of  Orange,  and  saw  much 
service  in  the  campaigns  in  Piedmont 
and  Germany,  where  he  lost  an  arm. 
William  III.  gave  him  a  retiring  pen- 
sion, when  he  settled  at  Portarlington, 
and  died  there  in  1740.  Several  of 
his  descendants  have  been  officers  in 
the  English  army.  The  last,  Count 
Guyon,  entered  the  Austrian  service, 
and  distinguished  himself  in  the  Hun- 
garian rebellion  of  18-18. 

HAKENC,  a  refugee  family  from 
the  south  of  France.  Benjamin  was 
a  director  of  the  French  Hospital  in 
170.").  He  bought  the  estate  of  Foot- 
scray,  Kent;  his  son  married  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  Berens,  Esq.,  and 
was  a  prominent  countj'  magistrate  in 
Kent. 

HAZARD  or  HASAERT,  Peter, 
a  refugee  in  England  from  the  perse- 
cutions in  the  Low  ("ountries  under 
the  Duchess  of  Parma.  Returning 
on  a  visit  to  his  native  land,  he  was 
seized  and  burned  alive  in  1568.  His 
descendants  still  sunive  in  England 
and  Ireland  under  the  name  of  Has- 
sard. 

HERAULT,  Louis,  a  refugee  pas- 
tor from  Normandy,  who  obtained  a 
benefice  in  the  English  Church  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  I.  But  he  was  so 
zealous  a  Royalist  that  he  was  forced 
to  fly  again  into  France,  from  which, 
however,  he  returned  at  the  Restora- 
tion, and  obtained  a  canomy  at  Can- 
terbury, which  he  enjoyed  until  his 
death. 

IIERVART,  Philibert,  Baron 
DE  HuNiNGUE,  a  refugee  of  high  char- 
acter and  station.  In  1090  William 
III.  appointed  him  his  embassador  at 
Geneva.  He  afterward  settled  at 
Southampton.  He  became  governor 
of  the  French  Hospital  in  1720,  to 
which  he  gave  a  sum  of  £4000,  dying 
in  the  following  year. 


HIPPOLITE,  Ste.,  see  Montolieu. 

HOUBLON,  Peter,  a  refugee 
from  Flanders  because  of  his  religion, 
who  settled  in  England  about  the  year 
I  jfJS.  His  son  John  became  an  emi- 
nent merchant  in  London,  his  grand- 
son James  being  the  father  of  the  Roy- 
al Exchange.  Two  sons  of  the  latter. 
Sir  James  and  .Sir  John,  were  alder- 
men of  London  ;  while  the  former  rei>- 
resented  the  city  in  Parliament  in 
1()'.»8,  the  latter  sen-ed  it  as  lord-may- 
or in  IGUi").  Sir  John  was  the  first 
governor  of  the  Bank  of  England;  he 
was  also  a  commissioner  of  the  Ad- 
miralty. Another  brother,  Abraham, 
was  also  a  director  and  governor  of 
the  bank.  His  son,  Sir  Richard,  left 
an  only  daughter,  who  married  Heniy 
Temple,  created  Lord  Palmerston  in 
1 1T2,  from  \\hom  the  late  Lord  Pal- 
merston was  lineallv  descended. 

HUDEL  or  UDEL,  pastor  of  "Les 
Grecs"  French  church,  London,  the 
eldest  son  of  a  zealous  Huguenot,  con- 
fined in  prison  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, and  who  \\as  only  released  at  the 
death  of  Louis  XIV.  ' 

H  U  ( i  E  S  S  E  X.  James,  a  refugee 
from  Dunkirk,  who  settled  at  Dover. 
The  family  is  now  represented  liy  E. 
Knatchbull  Hugessen,  M.P.  For  no- 
tice, see  p.  30! I. 

JAN  SEX,  Theodore,  yoxuigest 
son  of  the  Baron  de  Heez.  The  lat- 
ter was  a  victim  to  the  cruelty  of  the 
Duke  of  Alva  in  the  Netherlands,  and 
sufi'ered  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
public  executioner.  Theodore  took 
refuge  in  France,  from  ■whence  the 
family  fled  into  England.  His  grand- 
son, also  named  Theodore,  was  knight- 
ed by  William  III. ,  and  created  a  bar- 
onet by  Queen  Anne.  The  family 
were  highly  distinguished  as  mer- 
chants and  bankers  in  London.  Three 
of  Sir  Theodore's  sons  were  baronets, 
two  were  members  of  ParUament.  and 
one.  Sir  Stephen  Theodore,  ^vas  lord- 
mayor  of  London  in  \~'i'>. 

JUSTEL,  Henry,  a  great  Protest- 
ant scholar,  formerly  secretary  to 
Louis  XIV.,  but  a  fugitive  at  the  Re- 
vocation. On  his  aiTival  in  England 
in  1684,  the  king  appointed  him  royal 


41G 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


librariiin.  He  was  the  author  of  nu- 
merous :vorks. 

JORTIN,  Eene,  a  refugee  from 
Brittanv.  For  notice  of  the  family, 
see  p.  320. 

LABOUCHEKE.  For  notice  of, 
see  p.  31."). 

LA  C(JNDAMINE,  an  ancient  and 
nohle  famih'  belonging  to  the  neigh- 
borliood  of  Nismes.  Andre',  the  elder, 
was  a  Protestant,  and  held  to  liis  re- 
ligion ;  Charles- Antoine  abjured,  and 
obtained  possession  of  the  family  es- 
tate. Andre  tied  with  his  f.imily, 
traveling  by  night  only  —  the  two 
youngest  children  swung  in  l)askets 
across  a  horse  or  mule.  They  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  port  of  St. 
Malo,  and  crossed  to  Guernsey.  The 
boy  who  escaped  in  the  basket  found- 
ed a  family  of  British  subjects.  His 
son  John  became  king's  comptroller 
of  Guernsey,  and  colonel  of  the  Guern- 
sey militia  ;  and  his  descendants  still 
survive  in  England  and  Scotland. 

LALO,  of  the  house  of  l)e  La  in 
IJauphiny,  a  brigadier  in  the  British 
army,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Malpla- 
quet. 

LA  MELONNIl^KE,  Isaac  de 
INIoxcEAU,  SiEUR  DE,  a  lieutenant 
colonel  in  the  French  anny,  who  fled 
from  France  at  the  Revocation,  and 
joined  the  arm}^  of  the  Prince  of  Or- 
ange. He  raised  the  regiment  called 
after  him  "La  Melonnie're's  Foot." 
He  ser\'ed  throughout  the  campaigns 
in  Ireland  and  Flanders,  and  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  major  general. 
Several  of  his  descendants  have  been 
distinguished  officers  in  the  British 
army. 

LA  MOTTE,  Fkancis,  a  refugee 
from  Ypres,  in  Flanders,  who  settled 
at  Colchester  as  a  manufacturer  of 
l)ays  and  sayes.  His  son  John  be- 
came an  eminent  and  wealthy  mer- 
chant of  London,  of  which  he  was  an 
alderman. 

LANGLE,  De.  For  notice  of, 
see  p.  24.5. 

LA  PIERRE,  a  Huguenot  family 
of  Lyons.  Marc-Conrail  was  a  mag- 
istrate, and  councilor  to  the  Parlia- 
ment at  Grenoble — a  man  highly  es- 


teemed for  his  learning  and  integrity. 
He  left  France  at  the  Revocation,  and 
settled  in  England.  One  of  his  sons 
was  the  minister  of  Spring  Gardens 
French  church  in  1724;  and  Pierre 
de  la  Pierre  was  a  director  of  the 
French  Hospital  in  1 740. 

LA  PILONNIERE,  a  Jesuit  con- 
verted to  Protestantism,  who  took  ref- 
uge in  England  about  1716.  He  was 
the  author  of  several  works  relating  to 
his  conversion,  and  also  on  English 
history. 

LA  PRIMAUDAYE,  a  great  Prot- 
estant family  of  Anjou.  Several  of 
tliem  took  refuge  in  England.  In 
1740  Pierre  de  la  Primaudaye  was  a 
governor  of  the  French  Hosjiital,  and 
others  of  the  same  name  afterward 
held  that  office. 

LA  ROCHE,  a  refugee  from  Bor- 
deaux, originally  named  Crothaire, 
whose  son  became  ]M.  P.  for  Bodmin 
in  1 727.  His  grandson.  Sir  James 
Laroche,  Bart. ,  also  sat  for  the  same 
borough  in  1 7(>8. 

LAROCHEFOUCALD  (Fkeder- 
ICK  Chakles  de).  Count  de  Roye,  an 
able  officer  of  Louis  XIV.,  field-mar- 
shal under  Turenne,  who  served  in 
the  great  campaigns  ])etween  Hi72 
and  1(>.S3.  He  left  France  at  the  Rev- 
ocation, first  entering  the  Danish  sen^- 
ice,  in  which  he  held  the  jiost  of  grand 
marshal.  He  after\\ard  settled  in  En- 
gland. He  died  at  Bath  in  lOiX).  His 
son  Frederick-William  was  a  colonel 
of  one  of  the  si.x  French  regiments 
sent  to  Portugal  under  Scliomberg. 
He  was  jjromoted  to  the  rank  of  ma- 
jor general,  and  was  raised  to  the 
peerage  (for  life)  under  the  title  of 
Earl  of  Lifibrd,  in  Ireland. 

LAROUCHEFOUCALD,  Fkan- 
cis DE,  son  of  the  Baron  de  INIonten- 
dre.  He  escaped  from  the  abbey  of 
the  Canons  of  Saint  Victor,  where  he 
had  been  shut  u]i  for  "conversion," 
and  fled  to  England.  He  entered 
the  English  army,  served  in  Ireland, 
where  he  was  master  general  of  artil- 
lery, and  rose  to  the  rank  of  field 
marshal. 

LA  ROCHE-GUILHEM,  Melle 
DE,  a  voluminous  writer  of  romances 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


417 


(;f  ihe  Scuderi  school,  and  a  Protest- 
ant, who  first  took  refuge  in  Holland, 
and  afterward  settled  in  England 
about  I(>".)7,  though  his  works  contin- 
ued to  be  published  abroad,  mostly  in 
Amsterdam. 

LARFENT,  John  de,  a  refugee 
from  Caen,  in  Normandy,  who  fled 
into  England  at  the  Revocation.  His 
son  and  grandson  ^^■ere  employed  in 
the  Foreign  Office.  The  two  sons  of 
the  latter  were  F.  S.  Larpent,  judge 
"advocate  general  in  Spain  under  the 
Duke  of  WelUngton,  and  Sir  George 
Gerard  de  Hochepied  Larpent,  Bart. 

LA  TOMBE,  Thomas,  a  Protest- 
ant refugee  from  Turcoigne,  in  the 
Low  Countries,  who  settled  at  Nor- 
wich about  1558.  His  son,  of , the 
same  name,  %vas  a  thriving  merchant 
in  London  in  1034. 

LA  TOUCHE,  a  noble  Protestant 
family  of  the  Blesois,  between  Blois 
and  Orleans,  where  they  possessed 
considerable  estatas.  At  the  Re\'oca- 
tion,  Da^-id  Digues  de  la  Touche  fled 
into  Holland,  and  joined  the  army  of 
the  Prince  of  Orange.  He  served  in 
the  Irish  campaigns,  afterward  set- 
tling in  Dublin,  where  he  founded  the 
well-knovv'n  bank  Avhich  still  exists. 
His  sons  David  and  James  founded 
good  families  in  Ireland.  From  them 
are  descended  the  families  of  La 
Touche,  of  Marlay,  of  Harristo\vn,  of 
Sans-Souci,  and  of  Belle\Tie.  Many 
members  of  the  family  have  sat  in 
Parliament,  and  ha^•e  intermarried 
\vitli  the  nobility.  N.  Latouche,  a  I'ef- 
ugee  in  London,  was  the  author  of  an 
excellent  French  grammar. 

LA  TRANCHE,  P  rkderick  de,  a 
Huguenot  gentleman,  who  took  refuge 
in  England  shortly  after  the  massacre 
(jf  St.  Bartholomew.  He  first  settled 
in  Northumberland,  from  whence  the 
family  aftei^ward  removed  to  Ireland, 
and  founded  the  French  family,  the 
head  of  which  is  the  Earl  of  Clan- 
carty.  Many  high  dignitaries  of  the 
Church,  and  officers  in  the  army  and 
civil  senice,  have  lielonged  to  this 
fimily.  The  present  Archbishop  of 
Dublin  is  a  Trench  as  well  as  a  Chen- 
e\-ix  (which  see),  thus  being  doubly 


a  Huguenot  by  his  descent.  The 
Power-Keatings  are  a  branch  of  the 
Trench  family.  The  Earl  of  Ashtoun 
is  the  head  of  another  branch. 

LA  TREMOUILLE,  Charlotte 
DE,  wife  of  James  Stanley,  Earl  of 
Derby.  The  countess  was  a  Protest- 
ant—  the  daughter  of  Claude  de  la 
Tremouille  and  his  wife  the  Princess 
of  (Jrange.  Sir  Walter  Scott  incor- 
rectly makes  the  countess  to  have  been 
a  Roman  Catholic. 

LAVAL,  Etienxe-Abel,  author 
of  a  History  of  the  Refonnation  and 
of  the  Reformed  Churches  oj' France, 
and  minister  of  the  French  church  in 
Castle  Street,  London,  about  the  year 
1730. 

LA  VALLADE,  pastor  of  the 
French  church  at  Lisburn,  in  Ire- 
land, during  forty  years.  He  left  an 
only  daughter,  who  married,  in  1 737, 
George  Russell,  Esq.,  of  Lisburn, 
whose  descendants  sunive. 

LA  YARD,  originally  Lajard,  a 
refugee  family  from  MontpeUier.  An- 
toine  de  Lajard  was  controller  general 
of  the  king's  farms,  and  at  his  death 
in  IGSl,  his  family,  being  Protest- 
ants, fled  from  France  into  Fngland. 
Pierre  Layard  became  a  major  in  the 
English  army.  His  son  Daniel-Peter 
was  a  celebrated  doctor,  and  held  the 
appointment  of  physician  to  the  Dow- 
ager Princess  of  Wales.  He  was  the 
author  of  numerous  M'orks  on  medi- 
cine ;  among  others,  of  a  treatise  on 
the  cattle  distemper,  which  originally 
appeared  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions, and  has  since  been  fretpiently 
reprinted.  The  doctor  had  three  sons 
— Charles -Peter,  afterward  piebend- 
ar,-  of  Worcester  and  dean  of  Bristol; 
Anthony -Lewis  and  John- Thomas, 
who  both  entered  the  army,  and  rose, 
the  one  to  the  rank  of  general,  and 
the  other  to  that  of  lieutenant  general. 
Austin  Layard,  M.  P.,  so  Avell  known 
for  his  exploration  of  the  ruins  of 
Nineveh,  is  grandson  of  the  above 
dean  of  Bristol.  Two  cousins  are  in 
the  Chm-ch.  The  head  of  the  family 
is  Brownlow  Villiers  Layard,  Esq.,  of 
Riversdale,  near  Dublin. 

LE  COURRAYEB,  PiERBE- 


Dd 


418 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


FRAN901S,  a  canon  of  St.  Gene\-ieve, 
at  Paris,  afterward  canon  of  Oxford. 
He  was  a  veiy  learned  man,  and  a  vo- 
luminous author.  Having  maintained 
as  a  Roman  Catholic  the  validity  of 
ordination  by  the  bishops  of  the  An- 
glican Church  because  of  their  un- 
broken succession  from  the  apostles, 
he  was  denounced  by  his  own  Church 
as  a  heretic,  and  excommunicated.  In 
1 728  Le  Courrayer  took  refuge  in  En- 
gland, and  was  cordially  welcomed  by 
Wake,  then  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bun,-.  The  University'  of  Oxford  con- 
ferred on  him  the  degree  of  D.D. 
Although  he  officiated  as  canon  of  Ox- 
ford, he  avowed  to  the  last  that  he  had 
not  changed  his  religion ;  and  that  it 
was  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and 
not  he,  that  was  in  fault,  in  having  de- 
parted from  the  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices of  the  early  Church.  Le  Cour- 
rayer died  in  London  in  177(J. 

LE  FANU,  a  Norman  Protestant 
family.  Etienne  le  Fanu,  of  Caen, 
having,  in  l(i.57,  married  a  lady  who 
professed  the  Roman  Catholic  relig- 
ion, her  relatives  claimed  to  have  her 
children  brought  up  in  the  same  relig- 
ion. Le  Fanu  nevertheless  had  three 
of  them  bai)tized  by  Protestant  min- 
isters. The  fourth  was  seized  and 
baptized  by  the  Roman  Catholic  vicar. 
At  the  mother's  death  the  maternal 
uncle  of  the  children  claimed  to  bring 
them  up,  and  to  set  aside  their  ftither, 
because  of  his  being  a  Protestant,  and 
the  magistrates  of  Caen  ordered  Le 
Fanu  to  give  up  the  children  accord- 
ingly. He  appealed  to  the  Parliament 
of  Rouen  in  1G71,  and  they  confirmed 
the  decision  of  the  magistrates.  Le 
Fanu  refused  to  give  up  his  children, 
and  was  consequently  cast  into  prison, 
where  he  lay  for  three  years.  He 
eventually  succeeded  in  making  his 
escape  into  England,  and  finally  set- 
tled in  Ireland,  where  his  descendants 
still  survive. 

LE  FEVRE.  Many  refugees  of 
this  name  settled  in  England.  Tlie 
Lefevres  of  Anjou  were  celebrated  as 
chemists  and  physicians.  Nicholas, 
physician  to  Louis  XIV. ,  and  demon- 
Btrator  of  chemistry  at  the  Jardin  des 


Plantes,  was  in^'ited  over  to  England 
by  Charles  II.,  and  made  physician 
and  chemist  to  the  king  in  1660.  Se- 
bastian LefcATC,  M.U.,  of  Anjou,  was 
admitted  licentiate  of  the  London  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  in  KJS-t.  A  branch 
of  the  family  settled  in  Spitalfields, 
where  they  long  carried  on  the  silk 
manufacture.  From  this  branch  the 
present  Lord  Eversley  is  descended. 
For  farther  notice,  see  p.  315. 

LEFROY,  Anthony,  a  native  of 
Cambray,  who  took  refuge  in  England 
from  the  persecutions  in  the  Low 
Countries  about  the  year  1")7!',  and 
settled  at  Canterbury,  where  liis  de- 
scendants followed  the  business  of 
silk-dying  for  about  l.')0  years,  until 
the  trade  was  removed  to  Spitalfields. 
A  descendant  of  the  family,  also  called 
Anthony,  was  a  merchant  of  Leghorn, 
and  died  in  1 7711.  From  him  the  Irish 
family  of  the  name  is  descended.  This 
Anthony  was  a  great  antiquary,  his 
collection  of  (>(!(;()  coins  being  one  of 
the  finest  ever  made  by  a  private  per- 
son. He  was  an  intimate  friend  of 
Thomas  HoUis,  and  is  frequently  men- 
tioned in  his  memoirs.  Colonel  An- 
thony Lefroy,  of  Limerick,  represent- 
ed the  family  during  the  latter  half  of 
last  century.  His  son,  the  Right  Hon. 
Thomas  Lefroy,  chief  justice  of  Ire- 
land, recently  retired  from  the  bench. 
Anthony  Lefroy,  M.  P.,  and  Brigade 
General  Lefroy,  R.  A.,  are  members 
of  the  same  fiimilv. 

LE  GOULON,  a  pupil  of  Vauban, 
and  a  refugee  at  the  Revocation  ;  gen- 
eral of  artillery  in  the  anny  of  Wil- 
liam III.  He  served  with  distinction 
in  Ireland,  Germany,  and  Italy,  dying 
abroad. 

LE  MOINE,  Abraham,  son  of  a 
refugee  from  Caen.  He  was  chaplain 
to  the  Duke  of  Portland  and  rector  of 
Eversley,  Wilts,  the  author  of  numer- 
ous works.     He  died  in  1760. 

L'ESCURY,  see  Collot. 

LESTANG,  a  Protestant  family  of 
Poitou,  one  of  whom  acted  as  aid-de- 
camp to  the  Prince  of  Orange  on  his 
invasion  of  England.  Another,  Louis 
de  Lestang,  settled  at  Canterhuiy  with 
his  family. 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


419 


LE  SUEUE,  the  refugee  sculptor 
who  executed  the  fine  bronze  eques- 
trian statue  of  Charles  I.  at  Charing 
Cross.  Another  work  of  his,  still  pre- 
served, is  the  bronze  statue  of  the  Earl 
of  Pembroke  in  the  picture-galleiy  at 
Oxford.  The  statue  of  Charles  was 
sold  bv  the  Parliament  for  old  metal, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Jean  Rivet, 
suppose!  to  be  another  refugee,  and 
preseneJ  by  him  until  after  the  Resto- 
ration. A  refugee  (named  Le  Sueur) 
was  minister  of  the  French  church  at 
Canterbuiw. 

LE  THIEULLIER,  John,  a  Prot- 
estant refugee  from  Valenciennes. 
His  grandson  was  a  celebrated  Lon- 
don merchant,  knighted  in  1()87. 

LE  VA8S0R,  Michael,  a  refugee 
from  Orleans,  who  entered  the  English 
Church,  and  held  a  benefice  in  the 
county  of  Northampton,  where  he 
died.  He  was  the  author  of  several 
works,  among  others  of  a  History  of 
Louis  XJII.,  which  gave  great  of- 
fense to  Louis  XIV. 

LIGONIER,  a  Protestant  family 
of  Castres.  Jean  Louis  was  a  cele- 
brated general  in  the  EngUsh  sendee ; 
he  was  created  Lord  Ligonier  and 
Baron  Inniskillen.  Dming  his  life 
he  was  engaged  in  nineteen  pitched 
battles  and  twenty-three  sieges,  with- 
out ever  ha\'ing  received  a  wound. 
One  of  his  brothers,  Antoine,  was  a 
major  in  the  English  army;  and  an- 
other, who  was  raised  to  the  rank  of 
brigadier,  was  mortally  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Falkirk.  For  farther 
notice  of  Lord  Ligonier,  see  p.  228. 

LOGIER,  Jean-Bernard,  a  refu- 
gee musician,  inventor  of  the  method 
of  musical  notation  which  bears  his 
name ;  settled  as  a  teacher  of  music 
at  Dublin,  where  he  died. 

LOMBART,  Pierre,  a  celebrated 
French  engraver,  who  took  refuge  in 
England  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I., 
and  remained  there  until  the  early  pe- 
riod of  the  Restoration.  During  tbat 
time  he  produced  a  large  number  of 
highly-esteemed  engravings.  He  died 
at  Paris,  and  was  interred  in  the  Prot- 
estant cemetery  at  Charenton  a  few 
years  before  the  Revocation. 


LUARD,  Robert  Abraham,  a 
Huguenot  refugee  from  Caen,  who 
settled  in  London.  His  son,  Peter- 
Abraham,  became  a  great  Hamburg 
merchant.  George  Augustus  Luard, 
Esq.,  of  Blyborough  Hall,  is  the  pres- 
ent head  of  the  family,  to  which  Major 
Luard,  of  the  Mote,  Tunbridge,  also 
belongs. 

MAITTAIRE,  Michael,  a  cele- 
brated philologist,  linguist,  and  bibli- 
ographer, one  of  the  masters  of  West- 
minster School  at  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  centur}-.  He  was  an  able 
writer,  principally  on  classical  and  re- 
ligious subjects.  Haag  gives  a  list  of 
sixteen  of  his  works. 

MAJENDIE:  several  refugees 
from  Beam  of  this  name  fled  into 
England  at  the  Revocation.  One  of 
them  became  pastor  of  the  French 
cJHu-ch  at  Exeter.  His  son  Jean- 
Jac(iues  Majendie,  D.D.,  was  pastor 
of  the  French  church  in  St.  Martin's 
Lane,  and  afterward  of  the  Savoy. 
The  son  of  this  last  became  Bishop 
of  Bangor,  and  aftenvard  of  Chester. 
MANGIN :  several  refugees  of  this 
name  from  Metz  settled  in  L-eland. 
I'anl  became  established  at  Lisburn, 
where  he  married  Madeleine,  tiie 
daughter  of  Louis  Crommelin. 

MARCET,  a  refugee  family  from 
Meaux,  originally  settled  at  Geneva, 
fVom  whence  Alexander  came  over  to 
London  about  the  end  of  last  century, 
and  settled  as  a  physician.  He  was 
one  of  the  foimders  of  the  Medico-Chi- 
rtirgical  Society,  physician  to  Guy's 
Hospital,  and  the  author  of  many  val- 
uable works  on  medicine  and  chemis- 
try. Mrs.  Marcet  was  also  the  author 
of  many  esteemed  works  on  political 
economy  and  natural  historj-. 

MARIE,  Jean,  minister  of  the 
Protestant  church  at  Lion-sur-Mer, 
who  took  refuge  in  England  after  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  be- 
came pastor  of  the  French  church  at 
Nt)nvich.  His  son  Nathaniel  was  min- 
ister of  the  French  church  in  London. 
MARION,  Elie,  a  refugee  from 
the  Cevennes.  He  joined  liis  friend 
Cavalier  in  England.  Francis  ]\Ia- 
riun,   the    celebrated  general  in   the 


420 


HCGUEyOT  REFUGEES. 


American  War  of  Independence,  is 
said  to  have  been  one  of  his  descend- 
ants. 

MARTINEAU,  Gaston,  a  sur- 
geon of  Dieppe,  who  fled  into  England 
at  the  Revocation,  and  settled  at  Nor- 
wich. His  son  Da\id  was  also  a  skill- 
fid  surgeon.  Many  of  their  descend- 
ants still  exist,  and  some  of  them  are 
highly  distinguished  in  modern  En- 
gUsh  literature. 

MASERES,  Erancis,  a  celebrated 
judge  and  mathematician.  At  the 
Revocation,  the  grandfather  of  Ma- 
seres  escaped  into  Holland,  took  sen-- 
ice  in  the  ai-my  of  William  of  Orange, 
and  came  over  to  England  in  the  regi- 
ment of  Schomberg,  in  which  he  sen-ed 
as  a  lieutenant.  He  was  afterward  em- 
ployed in  I'ortugal,  where  he  rose  to 
the  rank  of  colonel.  His  son  studied 
medicine  at  Cam])ridge,  took  his  de- 
gree of  doctor,  and  practiced  in  Lon- 
don. Francis  Maseres,  the  grandson 
of  the  refugee,  also  studied  at  Cam- 
bridge ;  and  after  distinguishing  him- 
self in  the  mathematics,  he  embraced 
the  profession  of  the  law.  Besides 
his  eminence  as  a  judge,  he  was  an 
able  and  industrious  author.  Haag 
gives  the  titles  of  fifteen  books  pub- 
lished by  him  on  dift'erent  subjects. 
For  farther  notice,  see  p.  323. 

MASSUE,  Henri  de.  Marquis  de 
Ruvigny.  For  notice  of,  see  p.  208, 
314  (^note) ;  and  of  his  son  Henrj',  Earl 
of  Galvvay,  p.  217,  301. 

MATHY,  Matthew,  a  celebrated 
physician  and  author.  After  a  resi- 
dence in  Holland,  he  settled  in  En- 
gland about  the  middle  of  last  centu- 
ry. He  was  admitted  a  fellow  of  the 
Royal  Society,  of  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  in  IToS.  He  was 
aftenvard  appointed  lilirarian  of  the 
Britisli  Museum,  in  which  office  he 
was  succeeded  by  his  son. 

MATURIN,  G  Ainu  el,  a  refiigee 
pastor  who  escaped  from  France  after 
having  been  shut  up  in  the  Bastile  for 
twenty-six  years.  He  settled  in  Ire- 
land, where  he  anived  a  cripjjle.  His 
son  Peter  became  dean  ofKillala,  and 
his  grandson  dean  of  Saint  Patrick's, 
Dublin.      From  him  descended  the 


Rev.  C.  Maturin,  senior  fellow.  Trin- 
ity College,  Dublin,  rector  of  Fanet ; 
the  Rev.  C.  R.  Maturin,  an  eloquent 
jjreacher,  author  of  Bertram ;  and  Ga- 
briel Maturin,  Esq.,  Washington. 

MAUDUIT,  Isaac,  descended  from 
a  Norman  refugee  .settled  at  Exeter  as 
a  merchant.  Isaac  was  a  dissenting 
minister  at  Bemiondsey.  He  was  the 
fother  of  Jasper  Mauduit,  Esq.,  of 
Hackney. 

MAURY,  Mattheav,  a  refugee 
gentleman  from  Castle  Mauron,  in 
Gascony,  settled  in  London  for  a  time, 
where  his  son  James  was  ordained  a 
minister.  The  family  aftenvai'd  emi- 
grated to  Virginia,  U.  S. ,  where  their 
descendants  survive.  Captain  Mamy, 
LL.D.,  belongs  to  the  family. 

MAYERNE,  Theodore  de,  a 
celebrated  physician,  belonging  to  a 
Lyons  famil)',  originally  from  Pied- 
mont. He  studied  medicine  at  Hei- 
delberg and  Montpellier,  where  he 
took  his  degree  of  M.D.  in  1.595.  He 
ojjcned  a  medical  school  at  Paris,  in 
which  he  delivered  lectures,  and  ob- 
tained an  extensive  practice.  Henry 
IV.  appointed  him  his  first  physician. 
After  the  assassination  of  that  prince, 
Marie  de  ^Nledicis  endeavored  to  con- 
vert Mayerne  from  Protestantism ;  but 
he  was  firm,  and  consequently  lost  the 
patronage  of  the  court.  James  I.  in- 
vited him  over  to  England,  and  ap- 
pointed him  his  first  physician.  The 
Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge 
conferred  honorary  degrees  upon  him, 
and  he  obtained  a  large  practice  in 
London.  After  the  execution  of 
Charles  I.  he  retired  into  private  life, 
and  died  at  Chelsea  in  Ki;")'). 

MAZIERES,  De,  a  Protestant 
family  of  Aunis,  north  of  Saintonge, 
several  members  of  wliom  fled  from 
France  at  the  Revocation.  Peter  was 
a  lieutenant  in  the  French  aiTny.  and 
aftenvard  joined  the  army  of  William 
of  Orange.  He  settled  at  Youghal, 
in  Ireland,  where  he  died  in  1 7-tr>. 
Other  members  of  the  family  settled 
at  Cork,  where  they  left  numerous  de- 
sccTidants. 

MERCIER,  Philip,  a  portrait 
painter,  born  at  Berlin,  of  a  French 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


421 


refugee  family,  and  aftenvard  settled 
in  London,  where  he  died  in  1  KiO. 
He  was  patronized  by  Frederick, 
Prince  of  Wales.  Many  of  his  por- 
traits were  engraved  by  Simon,  Faber, 
A\\\\,  and  Heudelot  (refugee  engrav- 
ers in  London),  as  well  as  by  English 
artists. 

MESNARD,  Jean,  one  of  the  pas- 
tors of  the  Protestant  church  of  Cha- 
renton,  at  Paris,  from  which  he  fled 
into  Holland  at  the  Revocation.  His 
brother  Philip,  pastor  of  the  Church 
of  Salutes,  was  fined  10,000  livres  and 
condemned  to  perpetual  banishment ; 
his  church  was  demolished  and  a  cross 
set  up  on  its  site.  Mesnard  was  in- 
vited to  Co])enhagen  by  the  queen, 
(  harlotte  Amelia,  and  appointed  pas- 
tor of  the  French  church  there.  He 
afterward  came  over  to  England,  and 
became  minister  of  the  Chapel  Royal 
of  !St.  James  in  1700.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  director  of  the  French  Hos- 
pital in  1718;  he  died  in  1727. 

METTAYER,  John,  minister  of 
the  Patente  in  Soho  ;  afterward  min- 
ister of  the  French  church  at  Thorpe- 
le-Soken,  where  he  died  in  1707. 

.AIEUSNIER,  Philip,  a  refugee 
painter  of  architectural  subjects,  who 
studied  under  ^.'icholas  de  Larquil- 
liere,  another  refugee  artist. 

MISSON,  MA>aMiLiEN,  one  of  the 
Protestant  judges  in  the  ' '  Chamber 
of  the  Edict"  in  the  Parliament  of 
Paris.  At  the  Revocation  he  fled 
into  England,  and  was  selected  by  the 
Duke  of  Ormond  as  tutor  to  his  grand- 
son. Misson  traveled  with  him 
through  Europe,  and  afterward  pub- 
lished several  books  of  travels. 

MISSY,  C.ESAU  DE,  son  of  a  refu- 
gee merchant  from  Saintonge  estab- 
lished at  Berlin,  who  studied  for  the 
ministiy,  and  came  over  to  England 
in  17ol,  when  he  was  apjjointed  min- 
ister of  the  French  church  of  the  Sa- 
voy, in  London,  and  afterward  of  St. 
James's.  He  was  the  author  of  many 
liiglily-])rized  works. 

MOIVHE.  Abkaham,  For  notice 
of  see  ]).  28."). 

^I(  )LE'^'IER.  Stephen,  a  refugee 
pastor  tr>.;n  t!;e  Isle  of  Jourdain.  v.-ho 


fled  into  England,  and  became  minis- 
ter of  the  French  church  at  Stone- 
house,  Plymouth. 

MONCEAU,  Isaac  de,  see  La  Me- 

lo7l7lt€7^€, 

MONTENDRE,  De,  see  Larocke- 
fonr.auld. 

MONTOLIEU,  DE  Saint  Hippo- 
lite.  Of  this  noble  family,  Da\-id 
came  to  England  with  the  army  of 
William  III.,  under  whom  he  also 
served  in  Flanders.  He  was  made  a 
colonel  and  afterward  a  brigadier  gen- 
eral. His  descendants  still  survive  in 
several  noble  and  gentle  families. 

MOTHE,  Claude  de  la,  refugee 
minister  of  the  church  in  the  Savoy. 
For  notice  of,  see  p.  248. 

MOTTEAUX,  Peter  Anthony, 
poet  and  translator,  a  refugee  from 
Rouen,  who  fled  into  England,  and 
settled  in  London  in  16G0.  He  first 
translated  and  published  Don  Quixote 
and  Rabehns  into  English,  which  were 
received  with  great  favor.  He  also 
published  several  volumes  of  poetry 
and  a  tragedy,  "Beauty  in  Distress." 
Notwithstiuiding  his  success  as  an  En- 
glish author,  he  abandoned  literature 
for  commerce,  and  made  a  considera- 
ble fortune  by  a  series  of  happy  specu- 
lations.    He  died  in  1717. 

NADAULD,  a  Huguenot  family 
who  settled  at  Ashford-in-the-Water, 
in  Derbyshire,  shortly  after  the  Revo- 
cation. The  grandson  of  the  original 
refugee  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Nadauld. 
for  upward  of  fifty  j'ears  incumbent 
of  Belper  and  Turnditch.  One  of  the 
members  of  the  fiimil}'  was  a  celebra- 
ted watch-maker  and  silversmith.  An- 
other was  a  sculptor,  who  was  emi)loy- 
ed  by  the  Duke  of  Devonshire  to  exe- 
cute some  of  the  most  important  works 
at  Chatsworth  Palace.  Others  were 
clerg_\-men,  surgeons,  and  oflScers  in 
the  British  army. 

OUVRY,  James,  a  refugee  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Dieppe  about  the 
period  of  the  Revocation.  His  fami- 
ly became  settled  in  Spitalfields,  and 
were  owners  of  freeholds  there  in  the 
early  part  of  last  centurj'.  Francis 
Ou\-ry  treasurer  of  the  Society  of  An- 
tiquaries, belongs  to  the  fiuiily  ;  also 


422 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


Francisca  I.  Ouvry,  author  of  Henri 
de  Rohan,  or  the  Huguenot  Refugee, 
and  other  works. 

PAGET,  Valerian,  a  refugee  from 
France  after  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, who  settled  in  Leicester- 
shire and  founded  a  flourishing  family, 
the  head  of  which  is  Thomas  Paget, 
Esquire,  of  Humberstown.  Charles, 
lately  M.  P.  for  Nottingham,  belongs 
to  tlie  family. 

PAPILLOX,  David,  a  refugee 
from  Avranches,  where  he  was  im- 
prisoned for  three  years  because  of  his 
religion.  He  afterward  tied  into  En- 
gland, where  his  fimily  prospered. 
Dirterent  members  of  them  have  since 
represented  the  city  of  London,  Do- 
ver. Romney,  and  Colchester  in  Par- 
liament. The  present  head  of  the 
family  is  David  Papillon,  Esquire,  of 
Crowhurst,  Sussex. 

PAPIN,  Denis.  For  notice  of, 
see  p.  232. 

PAUL,  Lewis,  inventor  of  sjjinning 
by  rollers.     For  notice  of,  see  p.  327. 

PECHELL,  Samuel,  a  refugee 
from  Montauban,  in  L'inguedoc,  who 
settled  in  Dublin.  From  him  have 
descended  Samuel  Pechell,  Master  in 
Chancery,  and  Lieutsnant  Colonel 
Paul  Pechell,  of  Pagglesham,  Essex, 
created  a  baronet  in  1  7117.  Two  oth- 
er descendants  of  the  family  have  been 
rear-admirals,  and  occupied  seats  in 
tiie  House  of  Commons. 

PERRIN,  Count,  a  Huguenot  ref- 
ugee from  Nouere,  where  he  had  large 
j)ossessions.  He  originally  settled  at 
Lisburn,  in  Ireland,  from  which  he 
afterward  removed  to  Waterford,  and 
founded  the  family  to  which  Justice 
Perrin,  of  the  Irish  Bench,  l)elonged. 

PE  nr,  Le  Si  EUR,  an  officer  in  the 
Red  Dragoons  of  the  Prince  of  Or- 
ange on  his  expedition  to  England. 
Many  descendants  of  the  family  have 
served  in  the  British  army,  and  held 
offices  in  ( 'hurch  and  State. 

PINE  rON, Rev.  James,  de  Ch.\m- 
intUN.     For  notice  of,  see  p.  243. 

PORTAL,  an  ancient  noble  Prot- 
estant family  of  Toulouse.  For  no- 
tice of  the  refugees  of  the  name  in 
England,  see  p.  205. 


PRELLEUR,  Peter,  a  musical 
composer,  born  in  London  of  a  French 
refugee  family.  He  began  life  as  a 
writing-master  in  Spitalfields,  after 
which  he  applied  himself  exclusively 
to  music.  He  composed  a  number  of 
pieces  for  the  theatre  in  Goodman's 
Fields,  in  which  Da\id  Garrick,  or 
Garrigue,  the  son  of  another  French 
refugee,  made  his  first  appearance  as 
an  actor.  Prelleur  also  held  the  of- 
fice of  organist  of  the  church  of  St. 
Alban's,  and  afterward  of  Christ 
Church,  Middlesex. 

PRIMROSE,  Gilbert,  of  Scotch 
origin,  who  settled  in  France  in  1601 
as  minister  of  the  Pi'otestant  church 
of  Mirambeau,  and  afterward  of  Bour- 
deaux.  In  1 623  Louis  XIII.  ordered 
his  banishment  from  France,  when  he 
proceeded  to  London,  and  became 
minister  of  the  French  chmxh  in 
Threadneedle  Street ;  after  which  we 
find  him  ajjpointed  chaplain  to  the 
king,  next  Canon  of  Windsor,  and 
eventually  Bishop  of  Ely.  His  two 
sons,  David  and  James,  were  remark- 
able men  in  their  time,  the  one  as  a 
theologian,  the  other  as  a  physician. 
Both  were  authors  of  numerous  works. 

PRYME,  Matthew  de  la,  a  ref- 
ugee from  Ypres,  in  Flanders,  during 
the  persecutions  of  the  Duke  of  Alva. 
He  settled,  with  many  others  of  his 
countrymen,  in  the  Level  of  Hatfield 
Chace,  after  the  same  had  been  drain- 
ed by  Vermuyden.  His  son  was  the 
Rev.  Abraham  de  la  Pryme.  George 
Pry  me,  Esq.,  late  M.  P.,  and  profess- 
or of  political  economy  at  Cambridge, 
is  lineally  descended  from  the  above. 

PUISSAR,  Louis  James,  Marquis 
of,  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  2-lth 
regiment  in  1G9.5,  and  afterward 
served  in  Flanders. 

PUSEY,  see  Bouveries. 

RABOTEAU,  John  Charles,  a 
refugee  from  Pont-Gibaud,  near  Ro- 
chelle,  who  settled  in  Dublin,  and 
jjrospered  as  a  wine-merchant.  For 
notice  of  his  nieces,  the  Misses  Rabo- 
teau,  see  p.  IGfi. 

RADNOR,  Earl  of,  see  Bouveries. 

RAPIN  DE  THOYRAS,  Paul. 
For  notice  of,  see  p.  227. 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


423 


RAVANEL,  Samuel  de,  son  of  a 
Protestant  gentleman  of  Picardy  who 
came  into  England  before  the  Revo- 
cation. He  afierward  married  the 
niece  of  Marlborongh.  Hozier  sup- 
poses that  Edward  Ravenel,  director 
of  the  French  Hospital  in  1740,  was 
his  son. 

REBOW  :  a  refugee  of  this  name 
from  Flanders,  settled  at  Colchester, 
from  whom  .Sir  I;-aac  Kebow,  knighted 
by  King  William  (whom  he  entertain- 
ed), was  descentled.  Several  mem- 
bers of  the  family  have  since  repre- 
sented the  town  in  Parliament. 

RIVAL,  Peter,  pastor  of  several 
of  the  French  churches  in  London, 
and  lastly  of  that  of  the  Savoy.  He 
was  a  copious  author  and  a  vehement 
controvei-sialist.     He  died  about  1 72S. 

ROBETHOX,  the  Right  Hon. 
John,  a  French  refugee  in  London. 
His  brother  remained  in  Paris,  and 
was  attorney  general  of  the  Mint  in 
1722.  WilUam  III.  made  John  Ro- 
bethon  his  private  secretary.  He  was 
afterward  made  secretary  to  tlie  em- 
bassies and  privy  councilor.  In  1  721 
he  was  elected  governor  of  the  French 
Hospital.  He  died  in  the  following 
j"ear. 

ROCHE,  Loris,  a  refiigee  manu- 
facturer who  settled  at  Lisbm'n  at  the 
same  time  that  Louis  Crommelin  es- 
tablished himself  there.  He  became 
an  extensive  merchant ;  and  his  de- 
scendants are  now  among  the  first  in- 
habitants of  Beltast. 

ROCHEBLAVE,  Henky  de,  pas- 
tor in  succession  of  the  French  church- 
es at  Greenwich,  Swallow  Street,  Hun- 
gerford,  the  Quarre',  St.  James's,  and, 
last  of  all,  of  Dublin,  where  he  died  in 
1701). 

ROMAINE,  a  Huguenot  refugee 
who  settled  at  Hartlepool  as  a  corn- 
dealer  ;  father  of  the  celebrated  Rev. 
W.  Romaine,  author  of  the  Triumph 
of'  Faith,  for  notice  of  whom,  see  p. 
322. 

ROMILLY.  For  notice  of  this 
familv,  see  p.  315,  335. 

ROUBILLARD,  see  Champagne. 

ROUBILLIAC,  Locis  -  Francis, 
the  sciUptor;    born   at  Lyons   about 


1(10".  Haag  says  he  was  probably 
the  son  of  a  "new  convert, "and  that 
he  only  returned  to  the  religion  of  his 
fathers.  His  works  in  England  are 
well  known.  He  was  buried  in  the 
French  chui-ch  of  St.  Martin's -le- 
Grand  in  1 7()2. 

ROUMIEU,  a  Huguenot  refugee  in 
England,  descended  from  Roumieu, 
the  Albigensian  hero.  The  present 
representative  of  the  family  is  Robert- 
Lewis  Roumieu,  tlie  celebrated  archi- 
tect. 

ROUQUE'P,  James,  son  of  a 
French  Protestant  condemned  to  the 
galleys  for  life.  The  young  man 
reached  London,  and  was  educated  at 
Merchant  Tailors'  school.  He  en- 
tered the  Church,  but  became  a  fol- 
lower of  Wesley,  and  sujierintended 
"Wesley's  school  at  Kingswood.  He 
e\cntually  accepted  the  curacy  of  St. 
"Werburgh,  Bristol,  where  he  labored 
with  great  zeal  in  reclaiming  outcasts, 
and  died  in  1 776. 

ROUQUET,  N.,  a  painter  in  enam- 
el, belonging  to  a  French  refugee  fam- 
ily of  Gene\  a,  who  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  England.  He  was 
an  author  as  well  as  an  artist,  and 
wrote  an  account  of  The  State  of  Art 
in  Entjland,  which  was  published  at 
Paris  in  1  755. 

ROU.-^SEAU,  James,  an  excellent 
landscape  painter,  mostly  in  fresco, 
son  of  a  joiner  at  Paris,  w^here  he  was 
born  in  1()30.  He  studied  art  in  Italy, 
and  on  his  return  to  France  his  repu- 
tation became  great.  He  was  em- 
ployed in  decorating  the  palaces  at 
\^ersailles  and  Marley,  and  in  other 
important  works.  In  1  ()()2  he  was  ad- 
mitted a  member  of  the  Royal  Acad- 
emy of  Painting,  and  was  afterward 
elected  a  memlier  of  the  council.  But 
in  lii.Jl,  when  the  persecution  of  the 
Protestants  set  in  with  increased  se- 
verity, Rousseau  was  excluded  from 
the  Academy  because  of  his  being  a 
Huguenot.  At  the  same  time,  eight 
other  Protestant  artists  were  expelled. 
At  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict,  Rous- 
seau first  took  refuge  in  Switzerland, 
from  whence  he  proceeded  to  Holland, 
and  aftenvard  to  England,  where  he 


424 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


settled.  The  Duke  of  Montague  em- 
ployed him  to  execute  the  decorations 
of  his  town  house,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  British  Museum.  It  is  also 
said  that  he  superintended  the  erec- 
tion of  the  bmlding.  He  executed 
other  fresco-paintings  on  the  walls  of 
Hampton  Court,  where  they  are  still 
to  be  seen.     Died  in  London  in  1093. 

ROUSSEAU,  Samuel,  an  Orien- 
talist scholar,  the  son  of  a  French  ref- 
ugee settled  in  London.  He  was  an 
extensive  contributor  to  the  Gentle- 
man's Magazine  on  classical  subjects, 
as  well  as  the  author  of  several  \\orks 
on  the  Persian  and  Hindostanee  lan- 
guages. 

ROUSSELL,  Isaac,  a  French 
Protestant  refugee  from  Quillebceuf, 
in  Normandy,  who  tied  into  England 
in  IGOi).  He  settled  in  London,  and 
became  a  silk  manufacturer  in  Spital- 
fields.  The  jiresent  representative  of 
the  family  is  John  Beuzeville  Byles, 
Esq. ,  of  Henley-on-Thames. 

ROYE,  De,  see  harochefoucaidd. 

RUVIGN Y ,  Maiujuis  of.  For  no- 
tice of,  see  p.  208  and  314  (note). 

SAURIN,  Jacques.  For  notice  of, 
as  well  as  other  members  of  the  fam- 
ily, see  p.  241 ,  320. 

SAY,  a  French  Protestant  family 
of  Languedoc,  of  whom  several  mem  - 
bers  settled  in  England.  One  of  them, 
Samuel  Say,  who  died  in  1 743,  was  a 
dissenting  minister  in  London ;  an- 
other, Francis  -  Samuel,  was  minister 
of  the  French  church  in  Wheeler 
Street.  Thomas  Say  emigrated  to 
America,  and  joined  the  Quakers ; 
and  his  son  was  the  celebrated  natu- 
ral historian  of  the  United  States. 
Jean  Baptiste  Say,  the  celebrated 
writer  on  political  economy,  belonged 
to  the  same  fomily. 

SC'HOMBERG,  Dukes  of.  For 
notices  of  Frederick -Armand,  1st 
duke,  see  p.  189,  211,  21(5;  Charles, 
2d  duke,  p.  21'.) ;  Me'nard,  3d  duke,  p. 
214-1.5,  221. 

SIMON,  a  fiimily  of  artists  origin- 
ally from  Normandy,  who  belonged 
to  the  Protestant  Church  of  Charen- 
ton,  near  Paris.  John,  a  refugee  in 
Loudon,  acquired  great  reputation  as 


an  engraver.  He  \\'as  employed  by 
Sir  (Godfrey  Kneller  to  engrave  the 
portraits  painted  by  him,  a  long  list  of 
which,  as  well  as  of  his  other  works, 
is  given  by  Haag.  Simon  died  at 
London  in  IZao. 

TASCHER:  several  refugees  uf 
this  name  were  ministers  of  French 
clun-ches  in  London  at  the  beginning 
of  the  eighteenth  centuiy.  Pierre  de 
Tascher  was  a  director  of  the  French 
Hospital  in  1727. 

TEULON  or  THOLOX,  an  an- 
cient family  of  Nismes,  descended 
from  Marc  Teulon,  Sieur  de  Guirnal. 
Peter  and  Anthony  fled  from  France 
at  the  time  of  the  Revocation,  and  set- 
tled at  Greenwich.  Peter  went  into 
Ireland,  and  founded  the  Cork  branch 
of  the  family,  to  which  the  late  Col- 
onel George  Teulon,  one  of  the  aids- 
de-camp  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington  at 
Waterloo,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Charles 
Teidon,  and  Major  Peter  Teulon.  Iie- 
longed.  The  present  rejnesentalives 
of  the  family  in  Ireland  aie  B.  Teulon, 
Esq.,of  Baudon  ;  Thomas,  a  major  in 
the  army ;  and  Cliarles-Peter,  a  bar- 
rister. Anthony  Teulon,  of  Green- 
wich, married  Frances  de  la  Roclie, 
and  left  descendants.  Among  il.e 
present  representatives  of  this  brancli 
may  be  named  Samuel  Saunders  and 
William  Milford  Teulon,  the  eminent 
architects,  and  Seymour  Teidon,  Es((  , 
of  Limpsfield  Park,  Surrey.  Anotlier 
branch  is  settled  in  Scotland,  repre- 
sented b}-  Captains  James  and  Juliii 
Teulon.  Pierre  Emile  Teulon,  of 
Nismes,  president  of  the  council  un- 
der the  government  of  Louis  Philippe, 
is  supposed  to  belong  to  a  branch  of 
tlie  family  remaining  in  Fr;!nce. 

TEXTARD.  Leon,  Sieur  des 
Meslaus,  a  refugee  who  feigned  to 
abjure  under  the  terror  of  the  dragon- 
nadcs,  and  at  length  fled  to  England 
with  his  wife,  a  sister  of  James  Fon- 
taine, whom  no  terror  could  shake. 
They  settled  in  London,  together  with 
other  members  of  the  family. 

TEXTAS :  two  ministers  of  this 
name,  related  to  tlie  family  of  Cha- 
mier,  took  refuge  in  England  after  tiie 
Revocation. 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


425 


THELUSSON,  originaUy  a  Prot- 
estant family  of  Lyons,  who  took  ref- 
uge in  Geneva.  Peter  Thelusson,  son 
of  John  (an  ilhistrious  citizen  of  the 
Kepublic),  settled  in  London  in  1 7 ")(), 
and  acquired  a  large  fortune  by  trade. 
He  sat  in  Parliament  some  time  for 
Malmesbury.  His  son,  Peter-Isaac, 
was  created  Baron  Rendlesham. 

THOKIUS,  Raphael,  a  physician 
and  celebrated  Latin  poet,  bom.  in 
France,  but  a  refugee  in  England  be- 
cause of  his  I'eligion.  He  died  in 
IG25,  leaving  behind  him  a  son,  John, 
who  studied  medicine  at  Oxford,  and 
became  fellow  of  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians of  Dublin  in  1G27.  He  was 
the  author  of  several  medical  works. 

TRENCH,  see  La  Tranche. 

TRYON,  Peter,  a  wealthy  refu- 
gee from  Flanders,  driven  out  by  the 
persecutions  of  the  Duke  of  Alva. 
He  succeeded  in  bringing  with  him 
into  England  so  large  a  sum  as 
£60,000.  The  family  made  many  al- 
liances with  English  families  of  import- 
ance. Samuel,  son  of  the  original  ref- 
ugee, was  in  1G21  made  a  baronet  of 
Layer  Marney,  in  Essex.  The  baro- 
netcy expired  in  1 724. 

TURQUAND,  Peter,  a  Protest- 
ant refugee  from  Chatelherault,  near 
Poitiers,  who  settled  in  London,  where 
his  descendants  still  flourish. 

TYSSEN,  Francis,  a  refugee  from 
Ghent,  in  Flanders.  His  son,  of  the 
same  name,  became  a  thriving  mer- 
chant of  London.  The  family  is  at 
present  represented  by  W.  G.  Tyssen 
Amhurst,  of  Foulden,  in  Norfolk,  lord 
of  the  manor  of  Hackney. 

VAN  ACKER,  John,  a  refugee 
from  Lille,  in  Flanders,  who  became 
a  merchant  in  London.  His  grand- 
son Nicholas,  a  Turkey  merchant,  was 
created  a  baronet  in  1 700. 

VANDERPUTT,  Henry,  bom  in 
Antweq) ;  fled  to  England  from  the 
religious  persecution  in  the  Low  Coun- 
tries in  1508,  and  became  a  London 
merchant.  His  great-grandson  Peter, 
also  a  London  merchant,  was  sheriff 
of  London  in  1G84,  and  created  a  bar- 
onet in  1 723. 

VANLORE,  Petek,  a  Protestant 


refugee  from  Utrecht.  He  became  a 
celebrated  London  merchant,  and  was 
created  a  baronet  in  1G28. 

VARENNES,  John  de,  a  French 
refugee,  whose  descendants  remain  in 
England.  Ezekiel  G.  Vareunes  is  a 
surgeon  in  Essex. 

VERNELTL,  John,  a  native  of 
Bordeaux,  from  which  city  he  fled,  on 
account  of  his  religion,  to  England. 
He  was  a  learned  man,  and  was  ap- 
pointed sub-librarian  at  Oxford,  where 
he  died  in  1647. 

VICOSE,  Guy  de,  Baron  de  la 
Court,  a  Protestant  noble,  who  suffer- 
ed frightful  cruelties  during  the  drag- 
onnades.  He  took  refuge  in  London, 
where  we  find  him.  a  director  of  the 
French  Hospital  in  1718,  and  govern- 
or in  1 722. 

VICTORIA,  Queen.  For  notice 
of  her  Huguenot  descent,  see  p.  313. 

VIGNOLLES,  a  noble  Protestant 
family  in  Languedoc.  Charles  de 
Vignolles  was  a  military  officer,  who 
fled  with  his  wife  into  Holland  at  the 
Revocation.  He  afterward  accompa- 
nied the  Prince  of  Orange  into  En- 
gland, fought  in  the  Irish  campaigns, 
and  settled  at  Portarlington.  Many 
members  of  the  family  have  distin- 
guished themselves  in  the  army,  the 
Church,  and  the  civil  seiwice.  Dr. 
Vignolles.  Dean  of  Ossory,  and 
Charles  \'ignolles,  F.R.S.,  the  emi- 
nent engineer,  are  among  the  living 
representatives  of  two  branches  of  the 
familv. 

VILETTES,  Sebastian  de,  a 
country  gentleman,  lord  of  Montledier, 
near  Castres.  Like  his  ancestors,  he 
was  a  Protestant,  and  suffered  heavy 
persecutions  at  the  Revocation.  The 
familj'  fled  from  France,  and  took  ref- 
uge in  foreign  lands ;  some  in  En- 
gland, and  others  in  Germany.  The 
names  of  the  De  Vilettes  frequently 
occur  in  the  list  of  directors  of  the 
French  Hosjiital.  Among  others  we 
observe  those  of  Lieut.  Gen.  Heniy 
Clinton  de  Vilettes  in  1777,  and  of 
Major  William  de  Vilettes  in  177t>. 

VILLETTE,  C.  L.  de,  minister  of 
the  French  church  in  Dublin,  and  the 
author  of  numerous  religious  works. 


426 


HUGUENOT  REFUGEES. 


VINCENT  :  numerous  refugees  of 
this  name  settled  in  England,  though 
none  were  men  of  anv  particular  mark. 

WITTENKONG",  Jacob,  a  Prot- 
estant refugee  from  Ghent,  in  Flan- 
ders, who  earned  his  bread  in  London 
as  a  notary.  His  son  became  a  brew- 
er in  London,  and  greatly  prospered. 


He  was  knighted  by  Charles  I.  in 
16-iO,  and  created  a  baronet,  of  Stan- 
tonbury,  county  Bucks,  in  1G62. 

YVER,  John,  a  refugee  pastor, 
who  officiated  as  minister  in  several 
of  the  churches  of  the  refuge  in  Lon- 
don. He  afterward  went  into  Hol- 
land, where  he  died. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

BY  THE  HON.  G.  P.  DISOSWAY. 


As  the  author  of  the  "  Huguenots,  their  Settlement,  Churches,  and  Indus- 
tries in  England  and  Ireland,"  does  not  include  in  his  plan  any  account  of 
the  emigration  of  the  same  persecuted  people  to  America,  it  seems  proper,  es- 
pecially for  the  benefit  of  the  American  reader,  to  append  this  chapter.  The 
history  of  American  Huguenots  given  in  detail  would  fill  a  volume.  In  this 
connection  we  can  only  contribute  a  mite  toward  the  illustration  of  this  por- 
tion of  our  national  history. 

As  early  as  the  year  1555  the  French  Huguenots  attempted  to  make  a  set- 
tlement in  America  at  Brazil,  and  a  few  years  aftenvard  in  Florida.  Both 
attempts,  however,  failed,  on  account  of  the  bitter  hostility  of  the  Spanish  and 
Portuguese.  Philip  II.,  a  proud  and  bigoted  Romanist,  was  on  the  throne 
of  Spain,  and  would  not  pennit  the  heresy  of  Calvinism  to  be  planted  in  his 
American  provinces.  Charles  IX.,  too,  son  of  the  intriguing  and  dissolute 
Catharine  de  Medici,  had  ascended  the  French  throne.  Both  this  monarch 
and  his  mother  entertained  the  most  bitter  enmity  toward  the  Huguenots,  or 
French  Protestants.  The  mother,  an  Italian,  not  more  by  her  lineage  than 
her  subtlety,  became  the  actual  mistress  and  ruler  of  the  French  empire. 

Among  the  most  devoted  friends  of  Pope  Pius  V.  were  these  three  royal 
personages.  This  pope  made  France  the  theatre  of  his  most  sanguinary  per- 
secutions. Excepting  Innocent  III.,  his  predecessor,  no  pontiflt",  perhaps,  ever 
caused  the  Protestant  world  so  great  sorrow.  The  bloody  Inquisition  was 
his  nm-sery  and  school,  and  his  opposition  to  Protestant  Christianity  knew  no 
bounds. 

The  Huguenots  in  1569  lost  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Jamac,  where  six  or 
seven  thousand  Protestants  contended  against  a  Romish  army  four  times  as 
strong.  During  the  fight  the  Prince  of  Conde,  a  brave  and  distinguished 
leader  of  the  Reformers,  was  killed,  and  his  dead  body,  borne  by  an  ass,  be- 
came an  object  of  derision  to  many  who  before  had  trembled  at  the  veiy  men- 
tion of  his  name.  Pius  V.  greatly  exulted  over  this  Huguenot  defeat,  and  he 
left  seven  letters,  written  on  this  sorrowful  occasion,  to  Catharine,  the  queen 
mother,  which  will  ever  remain  as  monuments  of  his  unholy  zeal  and  ^"indic- 
tiveness.  He  commanded  that  his  enemies  should  be  "  massacrecr  and  '  Vo- 
tallji  exterminated."*  The  holy  father  went  still  further,  and  struck  a  med- 
al to  commemorate  the  battle,  representing  himself  uncovered  and  kneeling, 
returning  thanks  to  Heaven  for  the  triumph. 

This  pontiff  would  have  extirpated  the  Protestants  from  every  laud  ;  but, 
happily  for  the  Christian  world,  he  died  in  1572.  Yet  he  aroused  the  dia- 
bolical spirit  which,  soon  after  his  death,  caused  the  St. Bartholomew  massa- 
•  Delitis  omnibus. 


428  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

ere — a  wholesale  human  butchery  never  to  be  forgotten  in  the  memoiy  of 
man,  nor  ever  remembered  except  with  horror.  This  massacre  may  be  pro- 
nounced the  most  foid  and  bloody  of  ancient  or  modern  times,  and  our  author 
has  graphically  described  the  bloody  scenes  of  that  terrific  night.  Gregory 
XIII.,  then  pope,  had  a  medal  struck  to  celebrate  the  atrocious  event.  On 
tlie  obverse  it  has,  as  usual,  a  head  of  the  pope.  The  reverse  exhibits  a  de- 
stroying angel,  with  a  cross  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other,  pursuing 
and  slaying  a  band  of  prostrate  and  flying  heretics.  Its  legend  is  "  Ugoxo- 
TiUM  Strages,*  1572."  Strange  and  bloody  work  for  an  angel!  This  rare 
historical  medal  tells  its  own  terrible  tale. 

Then  followed  the  malignant,  desolating  religious  wars  which  raged  in 
France  during  the  seventeenth  century,  and  of  which  history  atlbrds  no  jiar- 
allel.  Wearied  with  increasing  persecutions,  the  Huguenots  began  to  emi- 
grate, and  many  left  France  even  before  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 
The  edict  was  finally  revoked,  October  18,  lG8r>,  at  Fontainebleau,  without  the 
least  pretext  or  necessity.  Why  the  act  should  be  termed  the  "  Kevocation," 
we  know  not,  for  all  its  provisions  had  long  been  repealed  by  several  ordi- 
nances forbidding  the  profession  of  the  Reformed  faith  under  severe  penalties. 
This  celebrated  Edict  of  Nantes,  to  speak  accurately,  had  been  a  new  con- 
fiimation  of  former  treaties  between  the  Frencli  government  and  the  Protest- 
ants, or  Huf/uenots — in  fact,  a  royal  act  of  indemnification  for  all  past  offenses. 
The  verdicts  against  Protestants  were  erased  from  the  rolls  of  the  Superior 
Courts  in  France,  and  their  unhmited  liberty  of  conscience  was  recognized. 
This  solemn  and  important  edict  marked  the  close  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
the  true  commencement  of  modern  times.  It  was  sealed  with  the  great  se.;l 
of  green  wax,  to  indicate  its  perpetuity,  and  in  signing  this  great  docmncnt 
the  illustrious  Henry  IV.  granted  to  the  Huguenots  all  their  ci\il  and  relig- 
ious rights,  which  had  been  refused  them  by  their  enemies.  But  a  state 
policy  so  novel  could  not  fail  to  excite  the  clamors  of  the  more  violent  fac- 
tions. The  sovereign,  however,  remained  firm,  declaring  to  Parliament  that 
he  had  pronounced -the  edict  as  king,  and  as  king  would  be  obeyed.  "My 
predecessors,"  he  said  to  the  clergy,  "  have  given  you  good  words,  but  I,  with 
my  gray  jacket,  will  give  you  good  deeds.  I  am  all  gray  on  the  outside, 
but  I'm  all  gold  within."  It  was  due  to  these  noble  royal  sentiments  that 
peace  was  for  a  time  maintained  in  the  French  realm. 

But  the  French  Protestants  did  not  long  enjoy  the  privileges  granted  to 
them  by  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  for  twelve  years  after  its  promulgation  Henry 
was  assassinated,  v,-hen  religious  discord  again  broke  out,  and  the  persecutions 
against  the  Reformed  became  so  violent,  bloody,  and  intolerable,  that  flight 
from  their  native  land  became  inevitable.  Many,  however,  prepared  to  suffer 
martyrdom  ratlier  than  to  leave  their  countiy  and  their  homes.  When  the 
full  tide  of  emigration  set  in  from  tlie  extended  frontier  of  France,  it  became 
impossible  to  prevent  the  escape  of  thousands  of  the  fugitives  into  England, 
Switzerland,  Gennany,  and  Holland.  Holland  !  glorious  Protestant  Holland  ! 
was  the  favorite  ark  of  the  refugees.  In  this  land  of  our  noble  Dutch  fore- 
fathers they  receiv'ed  tlie  most  generous  private  and  public  hospitality,  with 
the  most  precious  privileges  of  Religious  freedom. 

*  Massacre  of  the  Hufruenots. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA.  429 

During  the  last  twenty  years  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  French  emi- 
gration into  that  Holland  became  a  marked  political  event.  In  the  single 
year  of  the  "  Revocation"  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  Huguenot  preach- 
ers reached  the  free  soil  of  the  United  Provinces.  Amsterdam  alone  obtained 
sixteen.  The  Protestant  Frenchmen  greatly  advanced  all  the  branches  of 
human  learning  in  Holland,  for  here  no  fetters  embarrassed  genius,  and  there 
was  no  secret  censorship  over  intellect.  The  refugees  also  increasing  the 
commerce,  manufactures,  and  agriculture  of  the  Netherlands,  after  a  while 
rendered  Amsterdam  one  of  the  most  famed  cities  of  the  world.  Like  an- 
cient Tyre,  named  the  "perfection  of  beauty"  by  the  prophet,  her  merchant 
princes  traded  with  all  islands  and  nations. 

Until  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  centur}-,  the  descendants  of  the  Hugue- 
nots in  Holland  united  among  themselves  by  intermarriage  and  the  bonds  of 
mutual  s}-mpathies.  But  a  fusion  with  the  Dutch  in  time  became  inevitable 
in  Holland,  as  was  the  case,  also,  in  Gemian}-  and  England.  Many  refugees, 
adopting  a  new  nationality,  changed  their  French  names  into  Dutch.  The 
Leblancs,  for  instance,  called  themselves  De  Witt ;  the  Deschamps,  Van  der 
Yelde  ;  the  Dubois,  Van  der  Bosch  ;  the  Chevaliers,  Ruyter  ;  the  Le  Grands, 
De  Groot,  etc.  "With  this  change  of  names.  Huguenot  churches  began  to 
disappear  in  the  Netherlands,  so  that  out  of  sixty-two  which  existed  in  1G88 
among  the  seven  provinces,  only  eleven  now  remain.  ' 

This  rapid  review  of  the  Holland  Huguenots  seems  necessary  for  a  better 
understanding  of  our  subject.  The  Du.tch  made  the  earliest  settlements  in 
New  Netherlands,  and  with  them  soon  came  the  French  Protestants. 

THE  WALLOONS. 

Staten  Island,  that  beautiful  spot  in  our  New  York  Bay,  has  the  honor  of 
having  offered  the  first  safe  home  in  America  to  the  Walloons.  As  eai-ly  as 
the  j'ear  1622  several  Walloon  families  from  the  frontier,  between  Belgium 
and  France,  turned  then-  attention  to  America.  They  appHed  to  Sir  Dudley 
Carleton  for  permission  to  settle  in  the  colony  of  Virginia,  with  the  privilege 
of  erecting  a  towii  and  governing  themselves  by  magistrates  of  their  0A\ai 
election.  This  appHcation  was  referred  to  tlie  Virginia  Company,*  but  its 
conditions  were  too  republican  for  their  taste.  Many  of  these  emigrants 
looked  toward  New  Netherlands,  where  some  had  arrived  in  1624  with  Min- 
uit,  the  early  Dutch  director.  At  first  they  settled  on  Staten  Island,  and 
built  a  little  chm-ch  near  Richmond,  as  tradition  relates,  but  aftenvard  re- 
moved to  Walile  Docht,  L.  I.,  or  the  "Bay  of  Foreigners,"  since  corrupted 
into  Wallabout.  This  settlement  subsequently  extended  toward  "  Breuke- 
len,"  named  after  an  ancient  Dutch  village  on  the  River  Veght,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Utrecht.  The  name  of  Walloon  itself  is  said  to  be  derived  either 
fi-om  Wall  (water  or  sea),  or  more  probably  the  old  German  word  Wahle,  sig- 
nifj-ing  a  foreigner. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  is  a  page  in  the  earliest  chapter  of  New 

Netherlands,  a  region  which  the  West  India  Company  now  resolved  to  erect 

into  a  province.     To  the  Chamber  of  Amsterdam  the  superintendence  of  this 

extensive  and  newly-discovered  countiy  was  committed,  and  that  body  had 

•  London  Doc,  1.,  2-1. 


430  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

sent  out  an  expedition,  in  a  vessel  called  the  "New  Netherlands,"  whereof 
Cornelias  Jacobs,  of  Hoom,  was  skipper,  with  thirtij  families,  mostly  Wal- 
loons, to  plant  a  colony  in  America.  They  arrived  in  the  Iseginning  of  ]\Iay 
(1(523),  and  the  old  London  document  from  which  we  obtain  this  infonna- 
tion  adds  : 

"God  be  praised  ;  it  hath  so  prospered  that  the  honorable  Lords  Directors 
of  the  West  India  Company  have,  with  the  consent  of  the  noble,  high,  and 

mighty  Lords  States-General,  undertaken  to  ]ilant  some  colonies.* 

The  honorable  Daniel  van  Leuckebeeck,  for  brevity  called  '  Beeck,' was  com- 
missary here,  and  so  did  his  duty  that  he  was  thanked." 

The  Walloons  had  passed  through  the  fires  of  religious  persecutions.  They 
inhabited  the  southern  Belgic  Provinces,  and  spoke  the  old  French  language. 
In  the  year  1579  the  northern  provinces  of  the  Netherlands  fomied  their  po- 
litical union  at  Utrecht ;  the  southern  attached  themselves  to  the  Roman 
Church,  and  declined  joining  the  confederation.  Many,  however,  professed 
the  principles  of  the  Reformation,  and  against  these  the  Spanish  government 
exercised  inquisitorial  vengeance.  Thus  mercilessly  persecuted,  they  emi- 
grated by  thousands  into  Holland,  where  strangers  of  every  race  and  creed 
obtained  a  hearty  welcome. 

The  Hollanders  were  much  indebted  to  the  Walloons  for  many  branches 
of  useful  manufacture,  and  the  fame  of  the  New  World  reaching  the  ears  of 
these  French  artisans  of  Amsterdam,  their  attention  was  directed  thither. 
In  the  year  1G25  three  ships  and  a  yacht  arrived  at  Manhattan  with  more 
families,  farming  implements,  and  one  hundred  and  three  head  of  cattle. 
Hitherto  the  government  of  the  Dutch  settlement  had  been  quite  simjde,  but 
now  a  proper  director  from  Holland  was  appointed — Peter  Minuit — and  in- 
structed to  organize  a  provincial  government.  He  arrived  in  ]\Iay,  TI2(>. 
There  was  no  regular  clergyman  as  yet  in  the  infant  colony,  but  two  ' '  Visit- 
ors of  the  Sick"  were  appointed,  who  also  read  the  Scriptures  on  Sundays  to 
the  people.  Thus  more  than  two  centuries  ago  was  laid  the  corner-stone 
of  the  Empire  State  on  the  sure  and  firm  fotuidations  of  justice,  morality, 
and  religion.  The  Dutch  and  Huguenot  colonists  were  grave,  persevering 
men,  who  brought  with  them  tlie  simplicit}',  integrity,  and  industr}'  of  their 
Belgic  sires,  and  to  those  eminent  virtues  were  added  the  light  of  the  civil 
law  and  the  purity  of  the  Protestant  faith. 

The  Rev.  Johannes  Megapolensis  as  early  as  the  year  1042  became  dom- 
inie of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  in  Albany,  under  the  patronage  of  Van 
Rensselaer,  the  patroon,  and  five  years  afterward  he  took  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation at  Manhattan.  He  selected  in  1  fi52  for  a  colleague  Samuel  Dris- 
sius,  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  French  and  English  ;  and  from  his  let- 
ters we  learn  that  he  went  once  a  month  to  preach  to  the  French  Protestants 
on  Staten  Island;  these,  it  is  related,  were  Vaudois  or  Waldenscs,  who  had 
found  a  home  in  Holland  from  the  severe  persecutions  of  I'iedmont,  and  by 
the  liberality  of  the  city  of  Amsterdam  were  settled  in  New  Netherlands. 
This  ministry  continued  from  1052  to  1(1!) 7.  and  this  is  all  the  infonnation 
we  have  found  about  this  early  minister  and  his  little  Huguenot  flock  upon 
Staten  Island.  The  New  York  Consistory,  about  the  year  1690,  invited  the 
•  }Yai8emaer'8  Hiatorie  van  Europa,  Amsterdam,  1C21-3. 


THE  HUG  UENO TS  IN  AMERICA .  431 

Rev.  I'eter  Daille,  who  had  ministered  among  the  Massachusetts  Huguenots, 
to  preach  occasionally  on  the  island. 

Dm'ing  tlie  month  of  August,  lUfil,  a  small  colony  of  Dutch  and  French 
emigrants  from  the  Palatinate  obtained  grants  of  land  on  the  south  side  of 
Staten  Island,  where  the  site  of  a  village  was  sun-eyed.  To  protect  them 
from  the  Indians,  a  block-house  was  erected  and  garrisoned  with  three  guns 
and  ten  soldiers.  This  region  became  a  favorite  asylum  for  the  French  refu- 
gees, where  they  arrived  in  considerable  numbers  about  1G7.'>.  Their  pious 
descendants  are  among  the  influential  members  of  the  numerous  Christian 
churches  there,  and  the  Disosways  and  Guions  yet  occupj^  the  same  fanns 
whicli  their  pious  French  ancestors  settled  a  century  and  a  half  ago.  Here 
the  French  language  was  formerly  spoken,  and  was  as  common  as  the  En- 
glish is  in  our  day. 


At  an  early  period  in  our  colonial  history  the  Huguenots  made  a  settle- 
ment in  that  part  of  New  York  now  known  as  Ulster  County.  Abraham 
Hasbrouck,  one  of  the  first  patentees,  was  a  native  of  Calais,  France,  and  the 
first  emigrant  of  the  family  to  America,  arriving  in  1075  with  a  party  of 
French  Huguenots.  They  had  resided  a  while  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  ii< 
the  Palatinate.  To  commemorate  the  kindness  of  the  Hollanders  when  they 
reached  our  shores,  the  new  settlement  was  called  ^"  De  Paltz"  (now  ^'Neia 
Pdltz''),  as  the  Palatinate  was  always  styled  by  the  Dutch.  The  beautiful 
stream  also  flowing  through  this  region  was  knowii  as  the  "  TF«//jv7/,"  after 
the  River  Wael,  a  branch  of  the  Rhine  rimning  into  Holland.  The  first 
twelve  patentees,  or  the  ''''  Duzlne"  as  long  as  they  lived  managed  the  affairs 
of  the  infant  settlement,  and  after  their  death  for  a  long  period  all  the  impor- 
tant papers  and  land-titles  were  kept  in  one  chest.  To  the  pastor,  or  oldest 
man,  was  intrusted  its  key,  and  reference  was  made  to  this  depository  for  the 
settlement  of  all  diflSculties  about  boundaries.  We  can  trace  to  this  simple 
and  judicious  plan  the  well-kno^vn  harmony  among  the  descendants  of  the 
early  settlers  in  this  region,  the  fidelity  of  their  landmarks,  and  the  absence 
of  litigation  about  property.  From  their  earliest  settlement  there  has  been 
a  constant  intennarriage  among  the  French  and  Dutcli  and  their  descend- 
ants, many  of  whom  continue  to  reside  upon  the  ^'enerable  homesteads  of 
their  pious  forefathers. 

Devoted  as  the  Huguenots  ever  had  been  to  the  worship  of  God,  it  is  not 
strange  that  one  of  their  first  enterjirises  at  New  Paltz  was  the  erection  of  a 
church.  It  was  built  of  logs,  and  afterward  gave  place  to  a  substantial  one 
constnicted  of  brick  brought  from  Holland,  the  place  answering  the  double 
purpose  of  a  house  of  worship  and  of  a  fort.  Their  third  tabernacle  \vas  an 
excellent  stone  building,  in  which  they  worshiped  for  eighty  years,  when  it 
was  demolished  in  the  year  1839;  the  present  splendid  edifice  was  erected 
on  its  venerable  site. 

For  some  time  after  their  emigration  to  Ulster  the  Frenchmen  used  their 
own  tongue,  but  afterward  they  adopted  not  only  the  language,  but  also  the 
customs  and  habits  of  the  Dutch.  Some  of  their  descendants  in  New  Paltz 
still  \vrite  their  names  in  the  style  of  their  old  French  ancestors  two  centu- 


432  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

ries  ago.  Bevier,  Dubois,  Deyeau,  Hasbroque,  Le  Fe\Te,  are  weil-known  in- 
stances. After  the  destruction  of  the  Protestant  churches  at  Rochelle  in 
1685,  the  colonists  from  that  brave  city  came  to  the  settlements  of  the  New 
York  colony,  and  it  became  necessary  sometimes  to  print  the  public  docu- 
ments not  only  in  Dutch  and  English,  but  also  in  French. 

WESTCHESTER. 

Westchester  County,  New  York,  was  settled  by  emigrants  seeking  safety 
from  rehgious  persecution  in  New  England  and  France.  As  early  as  the 
year  1642  John  Throckmorton,  with  thirty-five  associates,  having  been  driven 
from  New  England  by  the  violent  Hugh  Peters,  commenced  the  first  settle- 
ment in  this  region  with  the  appi'obation  of  the  Dutch  authorities.  They 
called  the  place  Vredeland,  or  Land  of  Peace,  a  beautiful  name  for  ihe  home 
of  those  seeking  rest  from  the  violence  of  persecutors.  Twelve  years  after- 
ward this  little  Pm-itan  colony  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  more  emigrants 
from  Connecticut. 

New  Rochelle  is  situated  near  the  shore  of  Long  Island  Sound,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1689,  a  body  of  exiled  Huguenots  here  purchased  six  iJtousand  acres 
of  land  ;  the  purchasers,  their  heirs,  and  assigns,  as  an  acknowledgment,  were 
to  pay  "  one  fat  calf  on  every  four-and-twentieth  day  of  June,  yearly,  and  ev- 
ery year  forever,  if  demanded."  It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  every  Hugue- 
not on  the  festival  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  as  long  as  the  claim  endured,  paid 
his  proportion  of  the  fat  calf  Dm'ing  the  year  1690  Governor  Leisler  re- 
leased to  these  banished  French  Protestants  the  lands  thus  purcliased  for 
them.  Tliey  named  their  settlement  New  Rochelle,  and  were  themselves  a 
portion  of  the  ,50,000  who  found  safety  in  that  old  noble  Protestant  land 
four  years  before  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  According  to  tra- 
dition, they  landed  from  a  royal  vessel  on  the  present  Davenport's  Neck,  then 
called  Bonnefoy's  Point. 

Simidtaneously  with  the  foundation  of  their  -vallage,  they  organized  a 
chm-ch,  "according  to  the  usage  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  France."  Tiieir 
house  of  worship  was  built  of  wood,  about  1 692-93,  and  was  destroyed  soon 
after  the  Revolutionary  War.  David  Bonrepos,  D.D.,  who  accompanied  the 
earliest  Huguenots  in  their  flight  to  this  land,  was  the  first  pastor,  169").  He 
also  preached  to  the  French  refugees  on  Staten  Island.  The  Rev.  Daniel 
Bondet,  A.M.,  who  arrived  at  Boston  in  1688,  was  the  next  minister  at  New 
Rochelle.  At  first  he  used  the  French  prayers,  but  subsequently,  every  third 
Sunday,  the  liturgy  of  the  English  Church.  Following  the  example  of  their 
Reformed  French  brethren  in  England,  this  congregation  conformed  in  1 709 
to  the  English  Church,  as  then  established  by  law,  in  the  Ne^\'  York  colony. 

This  organization  increasing,  a  new  sacred  stone  edifice  was  completed  in 
1710.  After  nearly  twenty-seven  years  of  foithful  labor,  Mr.  Bondet  died  in 
1 722,  greatly  lamented,  and  was  buried  beneath  the  chancel  of  his  church. 
Here  are  also  entombed  the  ashes  of  his  successor,  the  Rev.  PieiTC  Stoupjje, 
A.M.,  who  de])arted  1760,  and  of  the  Rev.  Michael  Houdin,  A.M.,  who  suc- 
ceeded Stanhope,  and  died  1766.  Since  the  removal  of  the  old  edifice,  the 
ashes  of  these  very  early  Protestant  missionaries  sleep  beneath  the  common 
highway  to  Boston,  and  not  a  stone  tells  where  they  lie. 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA.  433 

Among  the  emigrants  to  New  Rochelle  were  the  ancestors  of  John  Jay 
and  Bishop  De  Lancey.     Mr.  Jay's  family  originally  came  from  La  Gnienne. 

NEW    YORIv    CITY. 

Such  was  the  increase  of  the  French  refugees  into  the  colony  of  New  York, 
that  the  French  church  of  our  city  for  some  time  became  the  metropolis  of 
Calvinism  in  the  New  World.  Dm-ing  the  year  108;")  there  was  a  large  ad- 
dition of  French  Protestants  to  the  popidation.  TMany  of  these,  having  so- 
journed in  the  islands  of  St.  Christopher  and  Martinique,  made  a  final  settle-- 
ment  among  our  tolerant  citizens,  bringing  with  them  wealth,  industry,  and 
,  the  useful  arts.  By  the  year  1695  their  families  had  reached  nearly  two 
hundred  in  number,  and  were  among  the  most  influential  of  the  city.  At 
first  they  worshiped  in  a  small  building  on  Marketfield  Street ;  then  a  more 
commodious  chapel  was  built  upon  Pine — ^'L'Eglise  clu  Saint  Esprit,"  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  was  built  of  stone,  was  seventy  by  fifty  feet 
in  size,  and  there  was  attached  to  it  a  bmwing-ground.  At  the  conclusion 
of  the  public  scmces  the  minister  always  said  ' '  Souvenez  vous  les  pauvres, " 
"Remember  ye  the  poor,"  when  old  and  young  dropped  their  benefactions- 
into  the  "poor-box"  behind  the  church  doors.  The  next  morning,  at  9 
o'clock  regularly,  the  beneficiaries  came  to  receive  this  pious  gift.  The  Hu- 
guenots always  remembered  and  aided  their  poor  brethren.  Here  for  one 
hundred  and  thirty  years  the  French  Protestants  worshiped  God  after  "Cal- 
Wn's  way,"  as  did  the  Refonned  churches  of  France  and  Geneva.  They 
thus  used  the  religious  fonns  of  their  fathers  until  the  year  1 804,  when  the 
old  congregation  conformed  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  except  in 
language,  to  this  day  retaining  the  French.  "L'Eglise,"  on  Pine,  was  sold, 
and  the  elegant  white  marble  sacred  edifice  erected  at  the  corner  of  Franklin 
and  Chm-ch  Streets,  where  the  congregation  maintained  their  religious  serv- 
ices for  some  yer.rs,  but  has  recently  erected  a  beautiful  edifice  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  city.  Since  the  establishment  of  the  original  church,  fourteen 
ministers  have  been  its  pastors.  James  de  Lancey  was  its  most  generous 
benefiictor.  In  1 729  he  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Council,  and  subse- 
quently justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  lieutenant  governor  of  the  state. 

Bancroft,  writing  of  early  New  York  (1656),  says,  "Its  settlers  were  relics 
of  the  first-fiiiits  of  the  Reformation,  chosen  from  the  Belgic  provinces  and 
England,  from  France  and  Bohemia,  from  Germany  and  Switzerland,  from 
Piedmont  and  the  Italian  Alps."  ....  "When  the  Protestant  churches  in 
Rochelle  were  razed,  the  colonists  of  that  city  were  gladly  admitted,  and  the 
French  Protestants  came  in  such  numbers  that  the  public  docimients  were 
sometimes  issued  in  French  as  well  as  in  English." 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

As  early  as  the  year  1 G62,  John  Touton,  a  doctor  of  Rochelle,  applied  to 
the  Court  of  Massachusetts,  asking  that  he  and  other  French  Protestants 
who  had  been  expelled  from  their  homes  on  account  of  their  faith  might 
come  to  New  England,  and  that  American  colony  generously  received  them. 
They  became  useful  and  honorable  citizens  of  the  state.  Faneuil  Hall,  Bos- 
ton, where  so  earlv  was  heard  the  plea  for  national  independence,  was  the 

Ee 


434  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

generous  gift  of  a  Huguenot's  son,  and  the  time-honored  edifice  still  retains 
his  name,  and  its  venerable  walls  are  adorned  with  his  full-length  portrait. 

The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  granted  a  tract  of  land  eight  miles 
square,  some  12,000  acres,  to  the  French  refugees  for  their  village  of  Oxford 
in  1G8G.  The  region  was  then  a  howling  wilderness,  but  is  now  the  busy 
town  of  Worcester.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  these  settlers  was  the  settle- 
ment of  a  minister  at  £40  a  year.  Surrounded  by  savages,  the  new  settlers 
erected  a  fort,  traces  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen  in  our  day.  though  tlie  site 
is  overgrown  with  currant-bushes,  roses,  and  other  shrubber}'.  JNIrs.  yigoui'- 
ney,  during  a  visit  to  this  venerable  spot,  wTote  these  beautiful  lines : 
"Green  vine  I  that  mantlest  iu  thy  fresh  embrace 

Yon  old  gray  rock,  I  hear  that  thou,  with  them, 

Didst  brave  the  ocean  surge. 

Say,  drank  thy  germ 

The  dews  of  Languedoc  ?  .  .  .  . 

At  fair  RocheHe ! 

Hast  thou  no  tale  for  me  ?"  etc. 

This  fortification  not  making  their  forest  home  safe  from  the  murderous  sav- 
ages, the  colonists  in  1G96  repaired  to  Boston,  where  vestiges  of  their  indus- 
try and  agricultural  taste  long  remained.  This  region  has  been  celebrated 
for  its  delicious  pears,  many  of  which  retain  their  French  names  to  this  day. 
A  refugee  minister  of  France,  Daille,  and  a  Mr.  Lawrie,  are  named  as  early 
pastors  to  this  little  flock. 

PENNSYLVANI.\,  MARTL.\>'D,    .WD    VIRGIXI.V. 

Pennsylvania  furnished  an  asylum  for  many  hundreds  of  the  French  Proi- 
estants  who  had  first  established  themselves  in  England,  but  who,  wlien  the 
ascent  of  James  II.  to  the  throne  threatened  their  lil)erties,  emigrated  to 
j  America. 

In  1  (Jf>0  Maryland  also  received  quite  a  large  number  of  Huguenots,  and 
during  the  same  year  King  William  III.  sent  to  the  Virginia  colony  a  body 
of  these  refugees  who  had  followed  him  from  Holland  into  England,  and 
doubtless  had  also  taken  part  in  the  Irish  war.  Lands  were  assigned  to 
them  twenty  miles  above  Richmond,  upon  the  southern  bank  of  James  Eiver, 
near  an  old  Indi.-n  place,  "Mannikin,"  after  which  they  named  their  settle- 
ment, afterward  known  as  the  ' '  Parisli  of  King  William. "  About  three  hund- 
red families  in  1699,  just  escaped  from  France,  greatly  strengthened  this  infant 
colony,  and  was  increased  still  more  the  next  year  by  two  hundred,  and  ..on 
aftenvard  by  one  hundred  other  French  families.  Claude  Philippe  de  Riche- 
bourg,  their  pastor,  had  been  driven  from  France  by  the  Revocation  of  the 
Edict  f  Nantes,  and  for  a  long  time  was  the  faithful  guide  and  spiritual  coun- 
selor of  these  expatriated  Christians. 

Our  authoi',  Mr.  Smiles,  refers  to  the  romantic  and  noble  life  of  James  Fon- 
taine, who  was  a  striking  example  of  a  true  Huguenot.  About  the  year 
17H5  three  of  his  sons,  emigrating  to  the  colony  of  Virginia,  became  eloquent 
and  useful  ministers  in  the  Established  Church.  A  grandson  .also,  the  Rev. 
James  Maury,  settled  in  St.  Margaret's  Parish,  King  William  County,  and 
from  him  descended  Matthew  Fontaine  Maury,  LL.D.,  late  of  tiie  National 
Observatory,  Washington,  and  r.uthor  of  "  The  Physical  Geography  of  rhe 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA.  435 

Sea."  From  this  Fontaine  stock  alone  have  descended  hundreds  of  the  be?t 
citizens  in  Virginia,  and  the  late  Dr.  Hawks  estimated  their  relations  in  the 
United  States  at  not  less  than  2000. 

SOUTH    CAROLINA. 

South  Carolina  was  styled  "the  Home  of  the  Huguenots,"  and  became 
their  principal  retreat  in  the  New  World.  Richebourg  conducted  thither 
jjart  of  his  flock  from  Virginia.  Nearly  a  thousand  fugitives  successively  em- 
barked for  Carolina  in  the  ports  of  Holland  alone.  One  historian  in  1  OSf) 
states  that  ' '  move  than  a  hundred  persons  are  buying  a  frigate,  half  resolved 
on  going  to  Carolina There  will  be  about  four  hundred  persons,  re- 
solved to  fight  well  in  case  of  attack,  and  set  fire  to  the  vessel  should  they 

be  reduced  to  extremity These  gentlemen   can  not  accommodate 

themselves  with  a  vessel  in  this  country.  There  is  one  carrying  fifty  can- 
non Avhich  has  been  chartered  for  them  in  England,"  and  fifty  guns,  fifty 
musquetoons,  and  thirty  pairs  of  pistols  were  purchased  at  Utrecht  fur 
this  vessel.  The  same  writer  continues:  "Our  Carolinians  of  Amsterdam 
are  about  to  join  themselves  to  those  of  Rotterdam,  in  which  they  are  go- 
ing  to    England.      At  London   they  have   many    associates,  who   will  go 

with  them The   two   barks  which  belong  to  them,  and  in  which 

they  will  make  their  voyage  to  England,  will  serve  them  also  for  going  to 
Carolina.  They  will  load  them  with  Malmsey  wine,  and  other  merchan- 
dise, in  the  island  of  Madeira.  The  two  barks,  and  their  ship  of  from  forty- 
five  to  fifty  guns,  which  they  have  chartered  in  England,  will  be  manned  bv 
four  liundred  well-armed  persons."  In  their  flight,  doubtless,  if  an  attemjit 
had  been  made  to  arrest  them,  these  well-armed  emigrants  would  have  dear- 
ly sold  their  lives. 

Isaac  Mazicq,  one  of  the  French  refugees,  a  merchant  from  the  island  (.f 
Rhe,  opposite  La  Rochelle,  reached  Charleston  in  the  year  1G8G,  accomi)a- 
iiied  by  many  other  Huguenots,  and  became  the  progenitor  of  one  of  the  most 
respectable  families  in  South  Carohna.  He  established- a  commercial  house 
in  the  crqjital  of  that  province,  laying  the  foundation  of  an  immense  fortune, 
which  he  most  generously  devoted  to  his  new  and  adopted  country. 

A  number  of  Englishmen,  during  the  reign  of  James  II.,  fearing  the  res- 
toration of  the  Roman  Catholic  rehgion,  emigrated  to  Carolina,  accompanied 
by  many  Huguenots,  refugees  in  England,  apprehensive  as  to  the  protection 
of  a  prince  who  openly  attached  himself  to  the  Romanist  faith.  All  here 
found  a  home  where,  although  the  English  form  of  worship  was  dominant, 
still  the  kind  tolerance  of  Shaftesbury  had  opened  a  religious  asylum  to  Chris- 
tians of  all  denominations.  The  most  considerable  emigration  took  place  in 
1GS7,  when,  through  the  royal  bounty,  six  hundred  French  Protestants  were 
sent  to  America,  most  of  them  locating  in  Carolina.  These  were  generally 
mechanics  and  laborers,  to  whom  also  had  been  given  the  necessary  tools  for 
their  trades  and  pursuits. 

The  refugees  established  three  colonies  in  South  Carolina — Orange  Quar- 
ter, on  the  Cooper  River,  Santee,  and  that  at  Charleston.     Amid  these  prim-  I 
itive  forests  the  exiles  worshiped  God  without  fear  of  man  or  of  royal  edicts, 
and  their  psalms  mingled  with  the  free  winds  of  heaven.     From  Orange 


43(3  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

Quarter  the  colonists  repaired  on  Sundays  in  their  light  canoes  to  their  church 
at  Charleston.  Ten  families  from  the  Orange  Quarter  made  a  settlement 
upon  the  site  of  the  modern  town  of  Strawberry  Ferry,  and  built  a  church,  of 
which  Florent  Philippe  Trouillart  became  the  first  pastor. 

In  this  until  then  uninhabited  country  another  settlement  at  Jamestown 
was  commenced  in  170o,  and  contained  one  hundred  French  fixmilies.  Their 
earliest  pastor  is  said  to  have  been  Pierre  Robert, a  Swiss, who  doubtless  ac- 
companied a  party  of  the  fugitives  in  their  escape  from  France.  Next  to  the 
colony  at  the  capital,  this  became  the  most  flourishing.  The  richest  and 
most  popidous  Huguenot  settlement  in  South  Carolina  w-as  that  bi  Charles- 
ton, where  entire  streets  were  built  by  them.  One  still  bears  the  name  of  its 
founder,  Gabriel  Guignard.  Here  Elias  Prioleau  became  the  first  pastor,  a 
descendant  of  Antoine  Prioli,  the  Doge  of  Venice  in  1G18. 

The  adventures,  trials,  and  misfortunes  of  some  of  these  pious  emigrants 
in  leaving  their  native  land  for  a  safe  home  in  this  province  are  full  of  ro- 
mance, and  can  not  be  read  except  with  painful  interest.  Judith  Manigault, 
a  young  married  Avoraan,  at  once  a  Christian  and  a  true  heroine,  has  left  this 
record  of  the  flight  of  her  family  from  France  : 

'  ■  We  quitted  our  home  in  the  night,  leaving  the  soldiers  in  their  beds,  and 
abandoning  to  them  our  house  and  all  that  it  contained.  Well  knowing  that 
we  should  be  sought  for  in  every  direction,  we  remained  ten  days  concealed 
at  Romans,  in  Dauphiny,  at  the  house  of  a  good  woman  who  had  no  thought 
of  betraying  us."  Making  a  long  circuit  through  Holland  and  Germany,  and 
after  suffering  many  misfortunes,  the  family  embarked  for  America  at  Lon- 
don. Then  she  continues:  "The  red  fever  broke  out  on  board  the  i^hip ; 
many  of  us  died  of  it,  and  among  them  our  aged  mother.  We  touched  at 
the  island  of  Bermuda,  where  the  vessel  which  carried  us  was  seized.  We 
spent  all  our  money  there,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we  procured  a 
])assage  on  board  of  another  ship.  New  misfortunes  awaited  us  in  Carolina. 
At  the  end  of  eighteen  months  we  lost  our  eldest  brother,  who  succumbed  to 
such  unusual  fatigues  ;  so  that  after  our  departure  from  France  we  endured 
all  that  it  was  possible  to  suffer.  I  was  six  months  without  tasting  bread, 
working  besides  like  a  slave  ;  and  during  three  or  four  years  I  never  had  the 
wherewithal  completely  to  satisfy  the  hunger  which  devoured  me."  "  Yet," 
adds  this  admirable  woman,  with  most  Christian  resignation,  "God  accom- 
plished great  things  in  our  favor  by  giving  us  the  strength  necessary  to  sup- 
port these  trials."  From  this  fragment  of  history  we  can  well  imagine  the 
untold  sufferings  which  thousands  of  other  refugee  emigi-ants  endured  in 
their  flight  from  their  own  to  other  and  more  tolerant  lands. 

In  1704  two  hundred  and  twelve  exiles  from  France  added  new  strength 
to  the  refugee  settlements  in  Carolina.  Their  pastor,  named  Gilbert,  accom- 
panied them,  the  English  government  furnishing  their  j)assage.  Vacant 
lands  were  distributed  among  tliem,  and  soon  a  town  raised  itself,  to  which 
its  founders  gave  the  name  of  New  Bordeaux,  in  honor  of  the  ca])ital  of  Gui- 
enne,  where  most  of  them  were  born.  The  foreign  Protestants  who  iiad  set- 
tled in  Carolina  up  to  the  year  1 782  had  increased  to  no  less  than  sixteen 
thousand,  of  whom  a  good  portion  were  French.  In  the  two  Carolinas  the 
Lords  I'roprietors  not  only  granted  lands  to  the  French  Protestants  upon  the 


THE  H  UG  UENO  TS  IN  A  ME  RICA .  437 

condition  of  a  penny  an  acre  yearly  pajTnent,  but  they  likewise  conferred 
upon  tiiein  all  the  civil  and  military  offices  in  their  power  to  bestow.  I'hey 
also  gave  them  the  most  unlimited  religious  freedom.  They  became  natural- 
ized in  1G!)7,  and  were  legally  admitted  into  the  great  body  of  the  American 
people.  From  the  French  colonists  in  Carolina  we  find  the  descendants 
of  many  honorable  families — the  Ravenels,  Trevezants,  Peronneaus,  Neu- 
villes,  Manigaults,  Marions,  Laurenses,  Legares,  Hugers,  Gaillards,  Uuboises, 
Dupres,  Chevaliers,  Bacots,  Benoits,  Bayards,  etc. 

That  never-dying  sentiment,  attaching  man  to  his  native  land,  notwith- 
standing the  advantages  of  their  home  in  America,  inspired  some  of  the  emi- 
grants with  a  new  and  strange  project,  which,  if  the  royal  monarch  had  any 
of  the  nobler  feelings  of  human  nature,  must  have  touched  the  heart  of  Louis 
XII.  Not  at  all  disposed,  like  their  expatriated  brethren  in  Europe,  to  return 
to  France,  they  yet  indulged  the  hope  of  settling  on  the  French  lands  of 
America.  They  requested  Bienville,  the  Governor  of  Louisiana,  to  send  their 
petition  to  the  court  at  Versailles.  This  was  signed  by  400  families,  ■\\ho 
had  taken  refuge,  after  the  "  Revocation, "in  Carolina,  and  who  only  solicited 
permission  to  settle  in  Louisiana  on  the  simple  condition  that  they  should 
enjoy  liberty  of  conscience.  With  Romanism  this  is  entirely  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  the  Count  de  Pontchartrain  informed  the  petitioners  that  his  royal 
master  the  king  had  not  driven  them  from  his  kingdom  to  form  a  Protestant 
republic  in  his  American  possessions.  While  entire  liberty  of  conscience 
ijrevailed  in  the  American  colonies  and  churches,  Louisiana  alone  was  found- 
ed under  the  dark  and  malign  shadow  of  intolerant  despotism.  That  l)eau- 
tifal  region  languished  dm-ing  one  hundred  years  in  a  sad  and  feeble  infancy. 
Nor  did  she  awaken  from  this  stupor  until  afer  her  entrance  into  the  Prot- 
estant American  family.  Then  the  State  of  Louisiana  rapidly  doubled  her 
pojicilation,  and  free  from  obstacles,  developed  the  immense  riches  she  carried 
iu  her  bosom.  Tliis  refusal  of  Louis  XIV.  destroyed  every  hope  of  the  ref- 
ugees remaining  Frenchmen,  and  they  became  more  than  ever  attached  to 
their  newly-adopted  homes  and  countrv'. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  briefly  refer  to  the  effects  of  the  Huguenot  migration 
upon  American  history. 

The  American  colonies  w^ere  largely  remunerated  for  the  generous  hospi- 
talities they  extended  to  the  French  Protestants.  In  Massachusetts  the  lat- 
ter cleared  the  forests  then  surrounding  the  Boston  and  Oxford  settlements, 
and  introduced  the  culture  of  the  pear,  quince,  and  grape.  The  founders  of 
New  Rochelle  reclaimed  smiling  fields  and  fruitful  gardens  from  a  savage 
wilderness ;  and  thus,  too,  were  the  uncultivated  lands  of  the  James  River 
transformed  into  fruitful  farms  and  rich  harvests.  Along  the  banks  of  the 
Cooper,  in  South  Carolina,  they  planted  the  olive,  the  vine,  and  the  mulber- 
ry, with  most  other  productions  of  Southern  France.  When  Charles  II.,  in 
1(;80,  sent  the  first  band  of  French  Protestants  to  Carolina,  his  principal  ob- 
ject was  to  introduce  into  that  colony  the  excellent  modes  of  cultivation 
which  they  had  followed  in  their  own  country.  Their  lands,  an  early  tr:nel- 
er  (Lawson)  states,  presented  the  aspect  of  the  most  cultivated  portions  of 
France  and  England ;  and  he  adds,  "  They  live  like  a  tribe,  like  one  family, 
and  each  one  rejoices  at  the  prosperity  and  elevation  of  his  brethren." 


438  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

The  meclianics  and  merchants  chose  Charleston  for  their  residence,  and 
t'ney  became  a  vahiable  addition  to  the  then  newly-founded  American  colony. 
They  estabhshed  silk  and  woolen  manufactories,  and  made  the  cotton  Ro- 
malls,  so  much  demanded  in  America,  and  similar  to  our  universally-used 
bleached  muslins.  Thus  the  refugees  added  greatly  to  the  national  prosper- 
ity and  wealth  of  the  United  States. 

Nor  were  their  political  influences  and  services  less  numerous  p.nd  impor- 
tant to  the  American  colonies.  They  often  fought  in  the  ranks  of  the  Amer- 
ican militia  during  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Naturally  ene- 
mies to  political  despotism  and  religious  intolerance,  in  the  Revolutionary  con- 
test the  French  Protestants  ran  to  arms,  and  displayed  the  energy  and  brav- 
ery which  they  had  inherited  from  their  noble  ancestors.  As  before  remark- 
ed, Faneuil  Hall,  the  "  Cradle  of'Liberty,"  was  offered  by  the  son  of  a  Hu- 
guenot to  the  orators  of  New  England  for  their  patriotic  deliberations. 

Many  scions  of  the  Huguenot  fomilies  on  the  field  of  battle  led  the  Amer- 
icans to  victoiy,  or  distinguished  themselves  in  the  councils  of  the  infant  re- 
])iiblic.  Amid  the  more  radiant  gloiy  of  Washington,  Franklin,  Hamilton, 
Lafayette,  and  Rochambeau,  the  names  of  John  Bayard,  Francis  INIarion, 
Henry  and  John  Laurens,  John  Jay,  EUas  Boudinot,  and  the  two  I\Lani- 
gaidts,  should  ever  be  gratefully  remembered  for  their  eminent  and  jiatriotic 
services  to  our  common  country.  Henry  Laurens,  John  Jay,  and  Elias 
Boudinot,  of  the  seven  presidents  who  directed  the  deliberations -of  our  earli- 
est Congress  during  the  War  of  Independence,  descended  from  French  an- 
cestors. 

The  services  of  Henry  Laurens  to  his  country  were  truly  brilliant.  A  na- 
tive of  Charleston,  born  in  1724,  when  solicited  not  to  take  part  in  tlie  com- 
ing American  contest,  he  replied,  "I  am  determined  to  stand  or  fall  with  my 
country;"  and  by  accepting  the  presidency  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  in  1 77.'), 
he  risked  his  fortune  and  life  in  the  common  cause.  A  member  of  the  first 
national  Congress  in  1776,  as  we  have  remarked,  he  was  elected  its  presiding 
officer,  manifesting  rare  ability,  with  nobility  and  dignity  of  thought  and  lan- 
guage. In  the  archives  of  Congress  his  official  letters  have  been  preserved, 
and  are  doubly  marked  with  the  stamp  of  a  statesman  and  patriot,  bearing 
tlie  impress  of  manly  energy  and  elevated  sentiment.  In  1  778,  voluntarily 
resigning  his  high  office.  Congress  ])resented  him  a  vote  of  public  thanks,  with 
their  declaration  that  he  deserved  well  of  the  country.  The  next  year,  aj)- 
jiointed  minister  from  the  United  States  to  Holland,  on  his  voynge  to  that 
land  he  was  captured  by  a  British  ship,  and  imin'isoned  in  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don. At  the  age  of  fifty-six  years,  and  infirm,  he  was  confined  to  a  cell,  and 
no  one  was  permitted  to  visit  him.  After  a  month's  confinement  he  was  in- 
formed that  if  he  would  serve  the  interests  of  England  in  her  conflict  with 
tlie  colonies  he  should  he  set  at  liberty,  but  he  rejected  the  proposition  with 
the  most  lively  indignation.  "  I  will  never,"  he  replied,  "  subscribe  my  name 
to  my  own  infixmy  and  to  the  dishonor  of  my  family."  His  firmness  did  not 
forsake  him  for  an  instant.  "Nothing,"  he  added,  "can  move  me."  Here 
was  the  noble  old  Huguenot  s\nrit  of  his  forefixthers.  In  the  year  1 781  he 
was  brought  before  the  Court  of  the  King's  Bench,  and  the  judge  addressing 
him  in  the  usual  form,  "The  king,  your  sovereign  master,"  etc.,  Laurens 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA.  439 

interrupted  him  and  cried,  "  He  is  not  my  sovereign."  After  a  rigorous  im- 
prisonment of  more  than  fourteen  months,  he  was  set  at  liberty  with  impaired 
heahh.  Nevertheless,  he  again,  and  for  the  last  time,  served  his  now  inde- 
pendent country.  With  Frankhn,  Adams,  and  Jay,  Mr.  Lam-ens,  in  1782,  re- 
paired to  Paris  and  signed  the  memorable  treaty  which  secured  independence 
to  the  thirteen  American  provinces,  and  placed  them  among  the  nations  of  the 
world. 

John  Laurens,  his  son,  was  born  at  Charleston  in  1755,  was  educated  a 
lawyer,  and  when  the  War  of  Independence  broke  out,  became  an  aid-de- 
camp to  General  Washington.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  German- 
town,  and  took  a  glorious  part  at  Monmouth  in  June,  1778.  When  Charles- 
ton capitulated  to  the  British  he  became  a  prisoner  of  war,  but,  being  ex- 
changed for  an  English  officer.  Congress  sent  him  to  France  as  embassador 
extraordinary  to  Louis  XVI.  He  was  charged  to  represent  the  critical  con- 
dition of  the  country,  sohcit  a  loan  and  the  assistance  of  the  king's  fleet. 
Succeeding  in  this  important  mission,  he  returned  home  in  six  months,  hav- 
ing obtained  every  thing  he  requested — a  subsidy  of  six  millions,  the  French 
king's  security  for  ten  millions  borrowed  from  Holland,  and  a  strong  re-en- 
forcement to  the  American  naval  and  land  forces.  Thus  the  son  of  a  Hugue- 
not refugee  obtained  important  aid  for  his  native  land  from  the  country  of  his 
ancestors,  and,  having  accomplished  this,  he  hastened  to  resume  his  place 
again  among  General  Washington's  aids-de-camp.  Afterward  elevated  to 
the  rank  of  colonel,  he  confirmed  the  confidence  of  his  superiors  by  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  acts  of  the  campaign.  At  the  siege  of  Yorktown  two  formi- 
dable redoubts  had  to  be  taken  at  all  hazards,  and  within  300  paces  of  the 
British  intrenchments.  The  French  were  ordered  to  stonn  one  and  the 
Americans  the  other.  Young  Laurens  commanded  the  latter,  and  his  sol- 
diers marched  to  the  assault  with  unloaded  muskets,  and,  scaling  the  palisades, 
in  a  few  minutes  carried  the  redoubt.  The  French  took  the  other  redoubt, 
and  Cornwallis,  vainly  defending  foot  by  foot  the  approaches  to  his  camp,  was 
compelled  to  surrender  with  8000  men.  Washington  designated  John  Lau- 
rens to  draw  up  the  articles  of  capitulation,  and,  strange  to  add,  while  arrang- 
ing the  conditions  which  made  a  British  army  prisoners  of  war,  at  that  verj- 
moment  his  father  was  a  close  prisoner  in  the  Tower  of  London. 

But  military  operations  were  not  yet  entirely  suspended ;  for,  although  the 
English  had  met  Avith  this  great  reverse,  they  still  held  Charleston,  and  Col- 
onel Laurens,  with  General  Greene's  army,  determined  to  share  the  last  dan- 
gers yet  to  be  encountered  for  the  independence  of  their  country.  At  the  noise 
of  the  firing  made  by  a  sally  of  the  enemy  from  Charleston,  Colonel  Laurens 
lefc  his  sick-chamber  and  followed  General  Gist,  with  300  men,  to  repel  the 
advance  of  a  strong  detacliment.  Engaging  a  very  superior  force,  and  in  the 
expectation  of  speedy  relief,  after  great  valor  he  received  a  mortal  wound, 
and  died  gloriously  on  the  field  of  battle,  August  27th,  17S2,  scarcely  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  Thus  was  this  brave  and  noble  young  man  struck  down 
in  the  moment  of  triumph.  At  the  time  he  was  the  idol  of  his  country,  the 
glory  of  the  American  aiTny,  an  ornament  to  human  nature,  his  talents  shin- 
ing with  no  less  brilliancy  in  the  legislative  halls  than  upon  the  battle-field. 

Although  less  illustrious  than  the  two  Laurenses,  the  two  Manigaults  should 


440  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

be  recorded  among  the  Americans  of  French  Protestant  origin  who  aided  in 
the  triumph  of  the  Eevohition,  thus  in  a  measure  paying  the  debt  of  hospital- 
ity incurred  by  tlieir  ancestors.  Gabriel  Manigaidt,  born  in  Charleston,  1 704, 
of  a  family  formerly  living  at  La  Rochelle,  became  one  of  the  most  wealthy 
merchants  in  America,  and  most  loyal  to  the  cause  of  iVmerican  liberty.  Too 
old  to  take  up  arms,  with  his  fortune  he  assisted  the  cause  by  loaning 
$220,000  to  the  State  of  South  Carolina ;  and  when  General  Prevost  threat- 
ened Charleston,  the  brave  old  man  took  his  grandson,  a  child  of  only  fifteen 
years,  by  the  hand,  and  fell  into  the  volunteer  ranks  to  fight  their  country's 
battle.  Two  years  after  he  died,  leaving  a  fortune  of  $500,000  honorably 
acquired,  and  an  unstained  record. 

The  history  of  this  patriotic  family  does  not  end  here ;  his  son,  Gabriel 
Manigault,  was  bom  in  Charleston,  1731.  He  was  appointed  a  judge,  and 
was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  In  1 7GG  he  was  president 
of  the  Carolina  Assembly,  which  prepared  the  way  for  Revolutionary  move- 
ments. He  was  able  and  eloquent,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  useful  and  brilliant 
career,  died  at  the  early  age  of  forty-two  years,  at  the  moment  when  the  ' '  Lib- 
erty Boys"  of  Boston  were  throwing  the  British  cargo  of  tea  into  their  har- 
bor. 

John  Jay,  the  descendant  of  an  oi'iginal  Huguenot  family,  and  of  illustrious 
memory,  Avas  born  in  New  York.  In  1774  he  signed  the  act  of  association 
between  the  thirteen  colonies  to  suspend  the  importation  of  British  merchan- 
dise, and  during  1774  was  chosen  president  of  Congress.  He  drew  up  an  elo- 
quent circular  for  that  body,  when  the  temporary  success  of  the  British  arms 
at  the  Fouth  had  occasioned  great  despondency,  and  caused  the  depreciation 
of  the  Continental  paper  money.  He  ably  proved  that  the  United  States, 
from  their  resources  and  naturr.l  riches,  would  be  able  to  meet  their  engage- 
ments, and  implored  his  fellow-citizens  to  i-esume  their  confidence  in  them- 
selves and  their  infant  government.  Like  Laurens,  Mr.  Jay  represented  his 
country  at  the  court  of  Louis  XVI.,  and,  on  November  30,  1782,  was  one  of 
the  commissioners  to  sign  the  Treaty  of  Versailles,  which  secured  American 
independence. 

Faithful  to  the  traditions  of  the  French  Protestants,  he  was  always  a  great 
lover  and  student  of  the  Bible,  and  in  advanced  life  was  chosen  president  of 
the  American  Bible  Society.  E^•ery  morning  his  whole  family  was  regularly 
summoned  to  religious  worship,  and  precisely  at  nine  in  the  evening  he  read  to 
them  a  chapter  of  God's  Word,  and  concluded  the  da}'  with  ])rayer.  Nothing 
ever  interfered  with  these  holy  services.  At  an  early  ]ieriod  of  our  national  his- 
tory was  published  by  Mr.  Madison  and  Colonel  Alexander  Hp.milton  the 
well-known  Federalist.  Mr.  Jay  had  contributed  the  second,  third,  fourtli, 
and  fifth  numbers,  when  he  was  obliged  to  discontinue  writing  from  a  dan- 
gerous wound  inflicted  on  his  forehead  while  endeavoring  to  jireserve  the  pub- 
lic peace  at  an  alarming  riot  in  New  York  during  the  year  1787.  Afterward, 
however,  he  added  the  sixty-fourth  number,  u])on  the  then  important  treaty- 
making  powers,  a  most  ai)i)ropriate  subject  for  his  consideration,  who  was 
])erhaps  the  most  competent  man  in  the  country  to  discuss  it.  He  died  on 
the  14th  of  JMay,  1821),  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  and  tlie  public  journals,  the 
courts,  and  all  parties  united  iii  proper  tributes  to  his  exalted  virtues.     Con- 


THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA.  441 


gress  ordered  his  bust,  as  the  first  chief  justice  of  the  United  States,  to  be 
phiced  in  the  Supreme  Court  room.  The  whole  life  of  this  Huguenot  de- 
scendant exhibited  the  rare  and  sublime  picture  of  the  patriot,  statesman,  and 
Christian  united,  and  justiiied  the  universal  respect  and  honor  ever  bestowed 
upon  him. 

Elias  Boudinot,  another  eminent  Huguenot  bv  descent,  preceded  John  Jay 
in  the  presidency  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  He  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, March  2d,  1 740,  of  a  French  Protestant"  tamily  which  had  emigrated 
after  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  He  was  considered  one  of  the 
most  eminent  lawyers  in  Pennsylvania.  He  filled  the  oflice  of  chief  justice 
of  New  Jersey  when  the  Wai-  of  Independence  broke  out,  and,  following  the 
example  of  nearly  all  the  descendants  of  the  French  refugees,  he  embraced 
the  cause  of  the  American  patriots.  Congress  appointed  him  to  the  impor- 
tant trust  of  commissary  general  of  prisoners,  the  duties  of  which  office  he 
discharged  with  great  prudence  and  humanity.  In  the  year  1777  his  fellow- 
citizens  elected  him  a  member  of  Congress,  and  in  1 782  he  was  chosen  its 
president,  and  had  the  honor  of  signing  the  treaty  of  peace  which  secured  the 
national  independence.  Upon  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in 
1 78t),  Mr.  Boudinot  was  honored  with  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, and  occupied  the  imjDortant  trust  for  six  successive  years.  General 
Washington  appointed  him  director  of  the  Mint  in  1 79G,  and  he  continued  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  this  ofiice  until  1805,  when  he  retired  from  pubhc  hfe, 
settling  at  Burhngton,  N.  J.  During  his  last  years,  Mr.  Boudinot  devoted 
his  leisure  to  the  study  of  Biblical  literature,  and  the  exercise  of  a  pubhc  and 
private  charity.  While  in  its  infancy,  the  American  Bible  Society  was  by 
his  large  donations  placed  upon  a  firm  foundation.  A  trustee  of  Princeton 
College,  he  founded  its  cabinet  of  Natural  History  at  a  cost  of  $3000.  Mr„ 
Boudinot  early  married  a  daughter  of  Richard  Stockton.  He  left  an  only 
daughter,  and  after  suitably  providing  for  her,  bequeathed  the  most  of  his 
large  estate  to  those  excellent  objects  which  through  life  had  been  dearest  to 
his  heart. 

Mr.  Boudinot  wrote  several  works,  and  among  them  an  able  reply  ("The 
Age  of  Revelation")  to  Tom  Paine's  "Age  of  Reason."  His  principal  pub- 
lication was  the  "Star  of  the  West,"  or  an  attempt  to  discover  the  long-lost 
tribes  of  Israel,  which  at  the  time  was  read  with  much  interest.  He  reached 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one,  and  died  in  the  city  of  Burhngton,  N.  J., 
Oct.  24,  1821.     On  his  tomb-stone  is  inscribed  this  sentence : 

"  Maik  the  perfect  man  and  behrld  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man 
IS  peace  I" 

Although  the  literary  influence  of  the  French  Protestants  in  America  was  \ 
hm  than  that  which  they  exercised  in  political  affairs,  nevertheless  it  should 
not  be  passed  over  in  entire  silence.  They  have  often  apjjcared  with  distinc- 
tion upon  the  seats  of  our  tribunals,  as  well  as  in  the  sacred  desk.  Elias 
Prioleau,  the  first  pastor  of  the  Huguenot  church  at  Charleston,  was  both  an 
eloquent  preacher  and  a  writer  of  merit.  His  manuscript  works  are  said  to 
possess  great  purity  of  doctrine,  elegance  of  style,  and  vigorous  thought. 
Bancroft  says,  referring  to  Bowdoin,  "  The  name  of  the  oldest  college  recalls 
to  mind  the  wise  liberality  of  a  descendant  of  a  Huguenot."     The  same  his- 


442  THE  HUGUENOTS  IN  AMERICA. 

torian  also  recognizes  in  the  French  Protestants  that  moral  elevation  of 
which  they  ga\e  i«o  many  proofs  in  every  country  where  they  were  dispersed, 
and  he  adds,  ' '  The  children  of  the  French  colonists  have  certainly  good  rea- 
son to  hold  the  memory  of  their  fathers  in  great  honor."* 

To  the  earliest  settlements  in  the  colony  of  New  York  can  be  traced  the 
Huguenot  element  mingling  with  the  excellent  Dutch  population.  It  is  a  re- 
markable fact  that  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  New  Netherlands,  June 
it,  162."),  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  George  Jansen  de  Rapelje,  an  exi)atriated 
Huguenot  after  the  St.  Bartholomew's,  who  emigrated  first  to  Holland,  and 
then  to  New  Netherlands.  The  Indians,  it  is  stated,  commemorated  her 
birth  by  presenting  to  the  father  and  his  fellow-countrymen  a  liberal  grant 
of  lands  around  Wallabout,  Long  Island. 

Johannes  Delamontagnie,  a  Huguenot  refugee,  came  to  New  Amsterdam 
in  1  (!37,  and  was  honored  by  Governor  Kieft  as  a  member  of  the  council,  at  that 
period  the  second  in  the  colonial  government.  He  purchased  a  farm  of  200 
acres  at  Harlem  for  >B  720,  naming  it  "  Vredendal,"  or  Valley  of  Peace.  Nu- 
merous and  respectable  descendants  are  still  to  be  found  from  this  early  Prot- 
estant settler.  The  original  French  families  have  long  since  disappeared 
from  Flushing,  Long  Island,  but  the  fruit-trees  they  introduced  still  remain, 
especially  the  apple  and  the  pear,  so  famous  in  that  highly-cultivated  region. 

At  the  present  time,  descendants  of  the  Huguenots  may  be  found  in  all  the 
United  States,  particularly  in  New  York,  ]\Iarylaud,  Virginia,  and  the  Caro- 
linas.  It  is  not  so  easy  to  recognize  their  names,  altered  as  the}'  have  been 
by  a  bad  pronunciation,  or  translated  into  English.  The  sons  and  grandsons 
of  the  French  refugees,  little  by  little,  have  become  mingled  with  the  society 
which  gave  a  home  to  their  fathers  in  the  same  way  as  in  England,  Holland, 
and  Germany.  As  their  Church  disajipeared  in  America,  the  members  be- 
came attached  to  other  evangelical  denominations,  especially  the  Episco])al, 
Reformed  Dutch,  Methodist,  and  Presbyterian.  The  French  language,  too, 
has  long  since  disappeared  with  their  Church  services,  which  used  to  call  to 
mind  the  countrj'  of  their  ancestors.  French  was  preached  in  Boston  until 
the  close  of  the  last  centurj-,  and  at  New  York  the  Huguenot  seiwices  were 
celebrated  both  in  French  and  English  as  late  as  1772.  Here,  at  the  French 
Protestant  church,  which  succeeded  the  Huguenot  years  since,  the  Gospel  is 
preached  in  the  same  language  in  which  the  prince  of  French  pulpit  orators, 
Saurin,  used  to  declare  divine  truth  two  centuries  ago.  The  Huguenot  church 
at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  alone  has  retained  in  its  jirimitive  purity,  in 
their  public  worship,  the  old  Cahinistic  liturgy  of  its  forefathers. 

The  greater  part  of  the  exiled  French  families  have  long  since  disappear- 
ed, and  their  scattered  communities  have  been  dissolved  by  amidgamation 
with  the  other  races  around  them.  These  pious  fugitives  have  become  pub- 
lic blessings  throughout  the  world,  and  have  increased  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
Holland,  and  England  the  elements  of  power,  prosperity,  and  Christian  de- 
velopment. In  our  land,  too,  they  lielped  to  lay  the  firm  corner-stones  of  the 
great  repubhc,  whose  glory  they  most  justly  share. 

The  Clove,  S.  /.,  Oct.,  1867. 

"  Bancroft,  vol.  ii.,  p.  1S3. 


INDEX. 


.  bbadie,  Huguenot  pastor,  dean  of  Killaloe, 
240. 

AUix,  Huguenot  pastor,  242. 

Alva,  Duke  of,  interview  witli  Catharine  de 
JIedici3,59;  persecutions  in  Flanders  con 
ducted  by,  62  ;  plots  against  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, 74. 

America,  flight  of  refugees  to.  111,  176. 

Antwerp,  printing  of  Bibles  at,  23  ;  prosperi- 
ty of,  01 ;  sack  of,  81. 

Ai-mada,  Sacred,  SI,  1  IS,  3S0. 

Artir'ans,  refugee,  in  England — Flemish,  63, 
S6-109,  353-68 ;  French,  250-69. 

Assassination  of  William  of  Orange,  75  (iwte); 
plots  to  assassinate  Elizabeth,  72,  75-SO. 

Austin  Friars,  Dutch  church  in,  113  (note), 
114  and  note. 

B. 

Barnstaple,  French  refugees  at,  293. 

Baronets,  English,  of  Huguenot  descent,  317. 

Barre,  family  of,  167  (note),  319. 

Bartholomew,  massacre  of  Saint,  65. 

Bearhaven,  Ireland,  James  Fontaine's  en- 
deavors to  establish  a  fishing-station  at, 
295. 

Beam,  massacre  of  Protestants  in,  128;  drag- 
onnades  in,  148. 

Benefit  societies  established  by  French  refu- 
gees, 254. 

Bermondsey,  Flemings  in,  94,95. 

Bethnal  Green,  descendants  of  refugees  in, 
334  (note). 

Beza,  Theodore  de,  53,  55. 

Bible,  deamess  of  MS.,  13 ;  first  printed,  15; 
early  editions,  IS ;  prohibited,  IS ;  value  of, 
20;  influence  on  literature, 21  (note);  Lu- 
ther's translation  of,  22  ;  Tyndale's  trans- 
lation, 23 :  effects  of  its  circulation,  24 ; 
burning  of,  30, 146,  G42. 

Bidassoa,  intei"view  at,6.». 

Blanket,  the  brothers,  their  manufacture, 
357-S. 

Bodt,  John  de,  engineer,  22S. 

Boileau,  family  of,  317. 

Bonrepos,  Riquet  de,  135. 

Books,  burning  of,  29, 146,  342. 

Bossuet,  his  praise  of  Louis  XIV.  for  revoking 
the  Edict  of  Nantes,  152. 

Bostaquet,  Dumont  de— family  of,  192;  es- 
cape from  France,  196 ;  flight  into  Hol- 
land, 202;  expedition  to  England,  205; 
campaign  in  Ireland,  211. 

Bordeaux,  Huguenots  at,14G. 

Bourdieu,  John  du.     (See  Dubovrdieu.) 

Eourdillon,  French  pastor,  on  decay  of  the 
churches,  278. 


Bouveries,  family  of,  309. 

Bow,  Flemings  at,  90. 

Boyne,  battle  of  the,  214. 

Brandenburg,  French  refugees  in,  175. 

Bri(;onnet,  bishop  of  Meaux,  20. 

Briot,  introduces  the  coining  press,  96  (note). 

Bristol,  French  church  at,  276,  391. 

Burleigh,  Cecil  Lord,  conspiracy  against,  78  ; 

mayor  of  Rye's  letters  to,  78,  89. 
Burning  of  printers,  28 ;  of  Bibles  and  books, 

29, 140,  342. 


Caillemotte,  La,  211 ;  killed  at  the  Boyne,215. 

Calvin  in  Saintonge,  38 ;  his  care  for  psalm- 
ody, 43  (7wte) ;  his  influence  on  the  organ- 
ization of  Geneva,  171. 

Cambric  manufacture  introduced  in  Ireland, 
290. 

Camizards,  war  of  the,  222-0. 

Canterbuiy,  first  arrival  of  Walloon  refugees 
at,  120;  their  church  in  the  Under  Croft, 
123;  church  still  in  existence,  126;  silk 
manufacture  at,  267 ;  Malthouse  Church 
at,  275,  287 ;  registers  of  churches  at, 
3S3-S. 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Huguenots'  colony  at, 
176  (note). 

Capell,  James,  French  pastor,  240. 

Castelfranc,  Lord  de,  attempted  escape  of, 
166. 

Catharine  de  Medicis,  letter  to  the  pope,  53 
(note) ;  interview  with  the  Duke  of  Alva 
at  Bidassoa,  59 ;  connection  of,  with  the 
massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  64. 

Cans,  Solomon  de,  engineer,  231. 

Cavalier,  John,  Camizard  general;  his  ori- 
gin, 222 ;  leader  in  the  Cevennes,  223 ;  at 
the  battle  of  Almanza,  226 ;  major  general 
in  the  English  array,  227. 

Cave,  Edward,  his  speculation  in  spinning- 
mills  with  Paul's  machine,  332. 

Chaise,  Pere  la,  confessor  to  Louis  XIV., 
143-4, 151. 

Chambon,  Alexander,  the  last  galley-slave 
for  the  faith,  338. 

Champion,  family  of,  318. 

Changes  of  foreign  names,  96  (note). 

Character  of  the  Protestants — of  the  Flemish 
refugees,  73,  SI,  92, 103, 120  ;  of  the  French 
Huguenots,  134, 182  (note). 

Charles  I.,  his  policy  toward  the  refugees, 
110 ;  sends  a  fleet  to  Rochelle,  129. 

Charles  II.,  privileges  granted  by  him  to  the 
Protestant  refugee^;,  ISl. 

Charles  IX.,  state  of  France  at  accession  of, 
51 ;  proposes  an  edict  of  amnesty,  51 ;  wit- 
ness of  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
65;  death  of,  68. 


iU 


INDEX. 


Chenevix,  M.  de,  of  Metz,  burial  of,  154  (nott), 
314. 

Chevalier  family,  320. 

Churches,  French,  in  England — Threadnee- 
dle  Street,  London,  114,  270, 369 ;  at  Sand- 
wich, Rye,  etc.,  114,  1S2  (iioh) ;  at  Nor- 
wich, 115,  3SS;  at  .Soutliampton,  115,  2T5, 
373 ;  Canterbury,  120, 3S3,  3si7 ;  in  Exeter, 
207,  277 ;  in  Bristol,  270,  391 ;  Stonehouse, 
Plymouth,  270,  392 ;  the  Savov,  London, 
271,  371 ;  in  Swallow  Street,  272,  372  ;  in 
Spitalfield.5,  273;  in  the  London  suburbs, 
274;  Thorpe- le-Soken,  Essex,  277,  395; 
Thomey  Abbey,  390 ;  decadence  of  the 
churches,  27S;  Church  of  the  Artillery, 
Spitalfields,  278-80,  335. 

Churches,  French,  in  Ireland — Portarling- 
ton,  220,  304;  Dublin,  2S4;  Kilkenny,  2S5 ; 
Lisburn,  285-9;  Cork,  234;  Waterford, 
300. 

Churches,  French,  Registers  of  the,  36S. 

Church  government  of  the  Huguenots,  134 
(notf). 

Church  in  the  Desert,  170  (nolc\  336. 

Churches,  I'rotestant,  in  France — demolish- 
ed, 50;  destroyed  by  Louis  XIV.,  142 ;  state 
of  Protestants  under  Louis  XIV.,  344. 

Churches,  Walloon,  in  England — Austin  Fri- 
ars, 87, 113  {not'),  114.ind  vote;  Sandwich, 
Rye,  etc.,  114;  Nonvich.  Southampton,  etc., 
115;  Canterbury',  120. 

Civil  Wars — in  Flanders,  02,  63 ;  in  France, 
57, 128. 

Claude,  French  pastor,  157. 

Clement  Vni.,  Pr pj,  70. 

Clergy  of  lloman  C,i;holic  Church,  19,  25,42, 
152,  101  (?(ofe),345;  at  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, 345-0  (nidi). 

Cloth  manufacture  introduced  into  England, 
S5,  353-00. 

Colbert,  his  policy,  135-6;  character,  130-S. 

Coligny,  Admiral,  57 ;  attempt  to  assassi- 
nate, 05;  his  murder,  C6. 

Coligny,  Odo — his  tomb  in  Canterbury  Ca- 
thedral, 123  (note). 

Colchester,  Flemish  colony  at,  104  (note). 

Collections  made  for  refugees,  90  and  note. 

Colporteurs,  French,  40  (^note). 

Condo,  Prince  of,  51, 57. 

Conver.^ion  of  Louis  XIV.,  150-1 ;  forced 
conversions  of  Protestants,  194. 

Copying  of  the  Bible,  its  costliness,  13, 16. 

Cork,  French  settlement  at,  290. 

Coster,Lauronce,and  invention  of  printing,15. 

Council  of  Trent,  58. 

Courand,  French  pa.-itor,  Southampton,  120. 

Cranmer's  Bible,  23  (nntc). 

Crommelin,  Loui^,  at  Lisburn,  285-7. 

D. 

Dauphiny,  Huguenots  of,  146. 
Descendants  of  the  refugees,  307,  397. 
Desaguliers,  Dr.,  234-5. 
Desert,  church  in  the,  170  (note),  556. 
Des  Vcrux,  family  of,  318. 
Dissenters,  I'rencli  pastors  become,  246. 
Divines,  cchbrated  Huguenot,  240-9  ;  of  Hu- 
guenot dtsctnt,  G20. 
DoUond,  John,  his  life  and  labors,  326. 
Dover,  refugees  at,  91. 


Dragonnades,  first  attempt  at,  145 ;  at  Bor- 
deaux, 140  ;  in  Beam,  148 ;  at  Rouen,  194. 

Dreux,  battle  of,  a  turning-point, 58  (note). 

Dublin,  settlement  of  refugees  at,  107 ;  manu- 
factures established  in,  2S4 ;  churches,  2S4. 

Dubourdieu,  John,  French  pastor,  24S-9,  253 
OJoic),  289  (note). 

Ducane,  or  Du  Quesne,  Admiral — his  con- 
stancy, 157 ;  family  of,  320. 

Durand,  David,  F.R.S.,  235. 

Dutens,  Rev.  Louis,  322. 

E. 

Edicts—of  15'>9,  44  ;  of  Nantes,  70 ;  of  Par- 
don, 130;  of  Louis  XIV.  against  Protest- 
antism, 140 ;  of  the  Revocation,  151 ;  of 
Potsdam,  175. 

Edinburg,  French  refugees  in,  209 

Edward  IIL,  first  settlements  of  foreign  arti- 
sans in  the  reign  of,  86, 354-7. 

Edward  VI.,  immigration  of  Protestant  Flem- 
ings in  the  reign  of,  87,  300;  churches 
granted  to,  by,  113.  , 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  difficulties  of  her  position, 
71  ;  plots  against  her,  74,  80 ;  Pope's  bull 
against,  75,  82 ;  policy  and  religion  of,  78, 
83;  protection  given  by  her  to  the  refu- 
gees, 87,  97,  101 ;  visit  to  Sandwich,  92 ; 
Southampton,  119. 

Emigration  of  foreign  Protestants  —  from 
Flanders,  62,  63,  80  ;  from  France,  88, 141, 
152;  of  French  manufactures,  250. 

Emigration  of  French  priests  and  nobles,  347. 

England,  the  asylum  of  the  persecuted  for- 
eign Protestants,  63,  72  ;  numbers  of  the 
fugitives  in,  SS;  settlements  of  the  refu- 
gees in,  S5,  '.:5'i. 

EvU  May-day,  306. 

Exeter— settlement  of  Huguenots  at,  207 ; 
cathedral  service  at,  207  (note) ;  French 
church  at,  277. 

F. 

Farel,  follower  of  Lefevre,  26  ;  escape,  27. 

Farmers,  the  Huguenots  as,  132. 

Faust,  John,  of  Mentz,  16. 

Fens,  reclamation  of,  107. 

Fishing  settlements  of  refugees,  106,  353 
(note). 

Flanders,  religious  persecutions  in,  61, 78, 81, 
340. 

Flax  manufactures  in  Ireland  founded  liv 
refugees,  108,  285. 

Flemish  refugtes  in  England,  03,  72  ;  their 
character  defended  by  Bishop  Jewell,  74 
(note) ;  settlement  at  Sandwich,  91-4 ;  in 
Southwark,  95;  various  settlements,  96; 
numbers  of,  in  London,  97,  98, 110 ;  at  Nor- 
wich, 100-103 ;  in  Ireland,  107  ;  in  Scot- 
land, 109,  353  ;  churches,  113-27  ;  names 
existing,  308;  distinguished  descendant^ 
of,  308-10 ;  early  settlements  of  Flemings 
in  England,  353. 

Fleury,  Archdeacon,  321. 

Fontaine,  James,  French  Protestant  refugee, 
life  and  adventures  in  England  and  Ire- 
land, 290-96. 

France — the  Bible  in,  214 ;  persecutions  of 
the  Reformed,  28;  at  the  accession  of 
Charles   IX.,  51;  massacre  of  Vassy,  55; 


INDEX. 


Ub 


of  Saint  Bartholomew,  65 ;  renewal  of  per- 
secution, 12S ;  flight  of  the  Huguenots 
from,  152;  article:?  imported  into  England 
from,  250 ;  at  the  Revolution,  340. 

Frederick  William,  elector  of  Brandenburg, 
175. 

French  embassador,  leception  of,  by  Kliza- 
l>eUi  after  the  massacre  of  Saint  Barlholo- 
meiv,  TO. 

French  Hospital,  London,  2S0. 

Irench  mechanics  in  London,  Henry  VIIL's 
reigu,  94, 95. 

French  refugees.     (See  Htmietwts.) 

I'ruit-trees  introduced  by  refugees, 94,  303. 

Fund,  French  refugee  relief — collections  in 
aid  of,  S9-90;  at  Geneva,  173  (note);  in 
Holland,  17S;  in  England,  ISG,  252. 

G. 

Galley-slaves  for  the  faith,  159-61 ;  their 
vouth,  163;  their  age  and  eminence,  104; 
the  last,  338 ;  sale  of,  344  (iioV ). 

Gabvay,  Earl  of,  his  career,  21S-221;  his  set- 
tlement of  i  ortarlington,  301 ;  descendants 
of,  314. 

Gambler,  Admiral,  229. 

Gardening  introduced  by  Flemish  refugees, 
93. 

Gastigny,  De,  founds  the  French  Hospital, 
'2  SO. 

Gent-va,  its  independence,  and  bounty  to  the 
refugees,  172-3. 

German  Bible,  23. 

German  miners  in  England,  300. 

Germany,  refugees  in,  174. 

Glass  m:\nufacture  introduced  in  England  by 
Protestant  refugees,  262,  203-4, 302. 

Glastonbury,  Flemish  weavers  at,  104  (note). 

God's  House,  Southampton,  115,  275,  3i3. 

Gols,  Gerard  de.  Sandwich,  l]ilnolc). 

Gospel,  translated,  26 :  preaching  of,  forbid- 
den, 52. 

Gospellers  at  Meaux,  27 :  at  Saintes,  3?,  39. 

Goujon,  Jean,  French  sculptor,  50,  68  (note). 

Goyer,  Peter,  refugee  at  Lisburn,  289. 

Graverol,  French  pastor,  240. 

Greenwich,  refugee  settlement  at,  20S ; 
church  at,  274;  glass-house  at,  362-3. 

Gienolile,  last  persecutions  at,  337. 

Grenvelle,  Cardinal,  inquisitor  in  Flander^•, 
01. 

Grote,  family  of,  and  descendants,  310. 

Guise,  Duke  of,  at  Vassy,  53 ;  in  the  massa- 
cre tf  Saint  Bartholomew,  60  ;  corresponds 
with  Mary  Stuart,  74. 

Gutenberg  and  invention  of  printing,  15. 

H. 

Hamburg,  Bible  printed  at,  23  (nnte). 
Hamelin,  I'hilebert,  early  martyi',  39  (note'i. 
Hat-making  introduced  by  refugees,  257,  362. 
Henry  IL  of  England,  early  settlement  of 

foreign  artisans  in  reign  of,  353. 
Heniy  IH.  of  France  visits  Palissy,  49 ;  civil 

war  in  the  reign  of,  69. 
Henry  IV.  of  France — marriage,  64 ;  becomes 

king,  69  ;  promulgates  tlie  Edict  of  Nante.^, 

70 ;  assassination,  70, 12S. 
Henry  VIII.  of  England — French  meclianica 

in  reign  of,  SO,  94 ;  his  protection  of  Flem- 


ish artisans,  304  ().o/c),  305 ;  Evil  M;.y- 
day,  366. 

Hervart,  Baron  de  Huningue,  281, 377. 

Holland,  the  great  ark  of  the  fugitives,  177; 
its  splendid  hospitality  to  the  refugees, 
178. 

Hops  introduced  by  Flemings,  C4  (7inte). 

Hospital,  the  French,  2S0. 

Houblons,  family  of,  and  descendants,  309. 

Huber,  John,  a  galley-slave,  104. 

Hugessen,  family  of,  309. 

Huguenots,  origin  of,  29  ;  first  persecution  of, 
27,  44;  spread  of  "The  Religion,"  50;  mas- 
sacre of  Vassy,  55 ;  civil  war,  57;  massacre 
of  St.  Bartholomew,  C5;  renewal  of  civil 
war,  69  ;  flight  into  England,  87 ;  renewal 
of  civil  war,  12S;  siege  of  Rochelle,  120; 
the  Huguenots  crushed  as  a  political  pow- 
er by  Richelieu,  and  the  Edict  of  Pai'don 
issued,  130;  Huguenots  as  men  of  indus- 
try, 132-4 ;  form  of  worsliip  and  church 
government,  134  (note) ;  Colbert  befriends, 
135;  persecution  of,  by  Louis  XIV.,  139; 
cruel  edicts  against,  140;  emigration  of, 
forbidden,  141 ;  attempt  to  purchase  con- 
versions of,  144  ;  dragonnades  in  Dauphiny 
and  at  Bordeaux,  140 ;  dragonnades  in 
Beam,  14S ;  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  151;  general  flight  of  the,  155; 
sent  to  the  galley.^,  159 ;  flight  by  t-ea  of, 
105;  number  supposed  to  have  escaped, 
168;  refuge  of,  in  Prussia,  175;  in  Holland, 
177 ;  soldiers  and  officers  in  the  army  of 
the  Piince  of  Orange,  ISS ;  at  the  battle  of 
the  Boyne,  214;  "officers  in  British  service, 
217  ;  men  of  learning  settled  in  England, 
229 ;  men  of  industrj-,  260 ;  settlements  in 
Ireland,  283 ;  descendants  of,  in  England 
and  Ireland,  307 ;  tlie  last  persecutions  of, 
in  France,  337 ;  consequences  to  France  of 
banishment  ot,  c40. 


Iconoclasts,  the,  in  France,  5T. 

Ignatius  Loyola,  00. 

Indulgences,  sale  of,  25. 

Industry,  branches  of,  established  by  refugee 
Flemings — bays  and  says  niakiug  at  Sand- 
wich, 88,91;  other  manufactures  at,  91, 
93  :  gardening  introduced,  93  (nate).,  94  ; 
carpentry,  95;  brewing,  90;  dyeing,  f6; 
felt  and  hat  making,  etc.,  SO ;  bombazine 
manufacture  at  Norwich,  100;  woolen 
weaving  in  west  of  England,  In.";  thread 
and  lace  making,  104  ;  mining,  105  ;  iron 
and  steel  manufactures,  lOG;  li.^hing  :t 
Yarmouth,  mo ;  feu-drainagv,  1(7:  vari- 
ous branches  in  Ireland,  108;  in  Scotland, 
109;  early  manufactures,  360-;!. 

Industiy,  branclies  of,  cstabli--hed  by  refugee 
French — encine-making,  235;  instrument- 
making,  255;  beiver  hats,  257;  buttons, 
258 ;  calicii-printing,  25S  ;  tapestry  manu- 
facture, '258;  sHk  manufacture,  258 ;  silk 
stockings,  200-1 ;  glass-making,  262-3;  pa- 
per-making, 204,  209 ;  lustrings,  brocades, 
etc.,  260;  fine  linen,  268;  lace-making, 
208  ;  Irish  poplins.  284;  Irish  linen  manu- 
factures, 285;  Irish  cambric,  289;  Irish 
woolen  manufacture,  290. 


446 


INDEX. 


Industry,  Huguenot,  in  France,  132. 
Inquisition  in  Flanders,  61 ;  in  Spain,  82-3. 
Inventors,  French   refugee,  204  (/lofc),  320, 

328. 
Ireland,  refugees  in — Flemish,  107  ;  French, 

2iy,  2S3,  306. 
Iron    and    steel    makers — at   Shotley,  105; 

Sheffield,  106. 

J. 

James  I.  of  England — grants  of  naturaliza- 
tion to  refugees  in  Ireland,  108 ;  hia  protec- 
tion of  the  refugees,  110 ;  attempts  to  in- 
troduce silk  manufacture,  258;  smuggling 
of  French  artisans  into  England  in  hogs- 
heads, 304. 

James  II.  of  England — his  accession,  1S2-3 ; 
introduces  the  Jesuits,  183;  persecution  of 
Scotch  Presbyterians  and  Englisli  Puri- 
tans, 183-5 ;  comparison  of,  with  Louis 
XIV.,  1S4;  opposed  by  the  nation,  1ST; 
flight  to  France,  207;  return  to  Ireland 
with  a  French  army,  21(1 ;  defeated  at  the 
battle  of  the  Boyne,  215. 

Jesuits — Order  of,  instituted  by  Loyola,  00; 
in  Flanders,  01,  75  (iwte) ;  Mary  yueen  of 
Scots  in  league  with,  79,  SO;  in  France, 
143,  151,  33S,  843;  in  England,  183,  208 
(.note). 

Jewell,  Bishop,  defense  of  the  Flemish  refu- 
gees, 73  ;  his  works  proscribed  by  Laud, 
111  (note). 

Jortin,  Archdeacon,  320. 


Kempe,  John,  Flemish  woolen  manufacturer, 

350. 
Kendal,  settlements  of  refugees  in,  104,  356. 
Kent,  settlements   of  Flemings   in,  91,  105, 

204,  35S. 


Lahouchere,  family  of,  315. 

Lace  manufacture  introduced  by  refugees, 
104,  lii5,  208. 

Lasco,  John  A',  superintendent  of  refugee 
churches  in  Edward  VI.,  113  and  note. 

Laud,  Arclibishop,  his  policy  with  respect  to 
Protestant  refugees,  110  and  note.,  Ill 
()w'fl),  112. 

Lawyers,  eminent,  sprung  from  French  refu- 
gee?, 322-3. 

Lee,  William,  his  invention  of  the  stocking- 
frame,  201. 

Lefovre,  Jacques,  hia  French  translation  of 
the  Bible,  24. 

Lefevre,  family  of,  315. 

Ligonier,  Lord,  223. 

Linen  manufacture  introduced  in  England 
by  refugees.  208 ;  in  Scotland,  209  ;  in  Ire- 
land, 108, 285. 

Lisbuni,  settlement  of  refugees  at,  285-8. 

Literary  men,  distinguished,  of  Huguenot 
origin,  322. 

Literature  and  printing,  13  ;  influence  of  the 
Bible  on,  21  (?ioM ;  depression  of,  in 
France,  Louis  XIV.,  342. 

London,  settlements  of  refugees  in — Flem- 
ings, SO,  94 ;  in  Southwark  and  Hermomi- 
sey,  95;    at  Bow,  Wandsworth,  etc.,  90; 


census  of  foreigners  in  1571,  'JS ;  \Valk"in 
churches  in,  113  J  French  refugees  in,  10S7, 
252;  French  cliurclies  in,  270;  descendants 
of  refugees  in  Spitalfields,  324-34 ;  Flem- 
ings in,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  354  ; 
riots  against  foreigners,  305-0. 

Louis  XIII.  of  France — war  against  the  Hu- 
guenots, 12S ;  issues  Edict  of  Pardon,  130. 

Louis  XIV.  of  I'rance,  absolutism  of,  137 ;  his 
ambition  for  military  glorj',  137, 13S ;  per- 
secution of  the  Huguenots,  139 ;  his  amours, 
143  ;  his  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 
151;  cruelty  of  his  rule,  153, 104;  requires 
the  refugees  to  be  expelled  from  Geneva, 
174;  compared  with  James  II.  of  England, 
284 ;  results  of  Louis's  rule  in  France,  341. 

Louis  XIV.  of  France — persecutions  in  reign 
of,  337 ;  suppression  of  Protestant  litera- 
ture and  burning  of  books,  342. 

Louis  XVI.  of  France  a  victim  to  the  despot- 
ism of  Louis  XIV.,  349. 

Loyola,  Ignatius,  60. 

Luther,  Martin,  his  first  perusal  of  the  Bible, 
21 ;  his  translation  of  Bible,  22 ;  on  music, 
42  (.note). 

Lyons,  massacre  at,  66  ;  Protestant  emigra- 
tion from,  169. 

M. 

Maintenon,  Madame  de,  and  Louis  XIV. — 
her  early  life,  143;  her  intrigues,  150; 
marriage  with  Louis  XIV.,  151. 

Majendie,  family  of,  320. 

Manufactures.     (See  Industry.) 

Manuscript  literature,  dearness  of,  13, 16. 

Marie  Antoinette,  victim  of  Louis  XIV., 
349. 

Marolles,  Louis  de,  a  galley-slave,  164. 

Marteilhe,  Jean,  his  sufferings  as  a  galley- 
slavr,  102. 

Martineaii,  family  of,  324,  889-90. 

.Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  74-80. 

Massacres_of  Vassy,  55;  throughout  France, 
57;  of  St.  Bartholomew,  05  ;  at  Lyons,  00; 
in  Daunhiny  and  Bordeaux,  140 ;  at 
Nismes,  224  ;  of  the  Revolution,  348. 

Massillon,  his  praises  of  Louis  XIV.,  152. 

Maturin,  Gabriel,  and  descendants,  321. 

Mazarin,  Bible,  15  (ante) ;  the  cardinal,  ac- 
knowledges the  loyalty  of  the  Huguenots, 
131. 

Mazeres,  Baron,  323  and  note. 

Meaux,  the  Reformation  at,  25. 

Medicis,  Catharine  de,  51 ;  letter  to  the  Pop^, 
53  (note) ;  interview  with  Alva,  59 ;  her 
connection  with  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, 04. 

Medicis,  Marie  de,  128, 141. 

Mentz,  origin  of  printing  at,  15, 17, 18. 

Merchants,  Flemish,  in  London,  97. 

Merchants,  the  Huguenots  as,  134  and  note. 

Millinery,  origin  of  the  word,  85  (note). 

Miners,  (German,  in  England,  360. 

Moivre,  Daniel  de.  235-S. 

Montmorency,  Duke  of,  45,  50. 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  his  sentence  on  John  Tyn- 
dale,  18  (note). 

Mothe,  Claude  de  la,  pastor,  24  5. 

Mottcaux,  refugee  author,  323. 

Mutual  benefit  societies  of  refugees,  254. 


INUKX. 


447 


N. 

Names  of  manufactured  articles,  origin  of,  S5 
inote)  \  changea  of,  by  Flemings  and 
French,  9(5, 304,  303,  311. 

Nantes,  Edict  of,  151;  Revocation  of,  151; 
depopulation  of,  1C9  ;  massacre  at,  349. 

Navarre,  Henry  of.     (See  Uenry  IV.) 

Newcastle-on-Tyne,  steel  and  iron  makers 
at,  105 ;  early  glass-makers  at,  362,  303 
and  note. 

Nonconformist  emigrants  to  America,  111. 

Norman  (benefit)  society,  Betlmal  Green,  255 
(note). 

Norwich,  settlement  of  Flemings  at,  99 ;  con- 
spiracy against  refugees,  101;  Walloon 
churcli  at,  115,  3SS ;  silk  manufacture  at, 
26S;  early  settlements  of  Flemings  at, 
354,  35S,  365. 

Numbers  of  Alva's  victims  in  the  Nether- 
lands, 63 ;  killed  in  the  massacres  in 
France,  1572,  67 ;  of  strangers  in  London, 
1550  and  1571,  87,  97-S ;  of  foreign  work- 
men in  Norwich,  100, 103 ;  of  Huguenots  in 
France,  Louis  XIV.,  142 ;  of  refugees  from 
France,  16S ;  of  refugees  in  England,  230, 
250. 

O. 

Officers,  Huguenot,  in  army  of  William  III., 

1S9;  at  the  Boyne,  217. 
Orange,  principality  of,  180.     (See  William 

III.  of  Orange.) 
Ormonde,  patronage  of  refugees  by  Duke  of, 

108  (note).,  287  (note),  290. 


Palissy,  Bernard,  life  and  history,  31—19. 

Paper,  manufacture  of,  introduced  by  refu- 
gees, 109,  133,  264;  early  manufacture, 
361-2. 

Papillon,  family  of,  319. 

Papin,  Dr.  Denis,  232. 

Pare,  Ambrose,  50, 65,  67. 

Paris,  burning  of  printers  at,  28 ;  Palissy  at, 
4S ;  Protestant  churches  destroyed  at,  56  ; 
massacre  at,  65;  rejoicings  at,  67;  rejoic- 
ings on  the  Revocation,  152 ;  destruction 
of  Pi-otestant  churches  at,  153 ;  Protestant 
pastors  banished  from,  157 ;  at  the  Revolu- 
tion, 347-9. 

Parliament,  Huguenots  in,  319. 

Pastors,  celebrated  Huguenot,  240-9 ;  list  of 
deceased,  278  (note). 

Paul,  Lewis,  inventor  of  spinning  by  rollers, 
327-33. 

Pauli,  Dr.,  on  the  French  church  at  Canter- 
bury, 127. 

Peers  of  Huguenot  descent,  313. 

Persecutions.  (See  Flanders  and  Hugue- 
nots.) 

Philip  II.  of  Spain,  59,  61 ;  laughs  at  news  of 
the  great  massacre  of  Protestants  at  Paris, 
67 ;  plot  against  Elizabeth's  life,  77 ;  his 
Sacred  Armada,  81 ;  contrasted  with  Eliz- 
abeth, 83. 

Philip  ir.  of  Spain,  59,  61, 83, 340. 

Physicians,  Huguenot,  proscribed,  232, 235. 

Pineton,  Jacques,  pastor,  his  escape  from 
Franca,  243. 


Plots  against  life  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  74,  77, 
SO  and  7iote. 

Plymouth,  landing  of  refugees  at,  181 ;  church 
at,  277. 

Popery,  popular  aversion  to,  in  England,  1S3. 

Popes — Alexander  VI.,  prohibition  of  print- 
ing, 18 ;  Paul  1  v.  issues  the  first  Index  Ex- 
purgatorius,20;  Piu^  IV.  attempts  to  sup- 
press heresy,  43, 44;  Pius  V.  refuses  assent 
to  marriage  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  04;  his 
bull  against  Elizabeth,  75 ;  Clement  VIIL, 
liis  denunciation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 
70 ;  Sixtus  V.  reissues  bull  against  Eliza- 
beth, 82 ;  Innocent  XL,  his  rejoicing  at  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict,  152. 

Portal,  family  of  De,  265. 

Portarlington,  settlement  of  refugees  at,  220, 
301,339. 

Potters,  refugee,  at  Sandwich,  93 ;  at  Nor- 
wich 100  (note) ;  Staffordshire,  100  (note). 

Prices  of  manuscripts,  13. 

Printing,  invention  of,  13 ;  of  the  Bible  15- 
24 ;  attempts  to  suppress,  28,  29 ;  in  Scot- 
land, 109-10  (note) ;  in  ICnglaud,  362  (note). 

Protestantism  in  England,  71,  78, 110, 1S3. 

Protestants,  foreign.  (See  Flanders  and  Hu- 
guenots.) 

Prussia,  Huguenot  refugees  in,  175. 


Queen  of  England,  her  Huguenot  descent, 
313. 

R. 

Raboteau,  escape  of  the  Misses,  166. 

Radnor,  Earl  of,  309. 

Ramus,  Peter,  50,  68  (note). 

Rapin-'Thoyras,  the  soldier-historian,  205, 
227. 

"  Reconnaissances"  of  French  refugees,  270. 

Reformation  heralded  by  printing,  13;  at 
Meaux,  27;  at  Saintes,39;  supporters  of, 
33;  in  Flanders,  01 ;  in  England,  72. 

Reformed.     (See  Flemings  and  limmenots.) 

Refugees,  foreign,  defense  of,  by  Bishop  Jew- 
ell, 74  (:note) ;  Flemish,  in  England,  and 
settlements,  85-110;  refugee  churches, 
113-27;  French  in  Switzerland,  171;  in 
Prussia,  175 ;  in  Africa,  176 ;  in  Holland, 
177;  in  England,  181  et  seq.;  religion  of, 
230;  trades  of,  250;  aid  given  to,  251; 
benefit  societies  of,  254 ;  industry  of,  269  ; 
churches  of,  270 ;  in  Ireland,  283  ;  descend- 
ants of,  307 ;  effects  of  settlement  on  En- 
gland, 351 ;  early,  353. 

Refugee  relief  fund,  180,  251-2. 

Relations  of  England  with  France  and  Spain, 
71. 

Revolution,  French,  and  its  causes,  346. 

Richard  II. ,  foreign  artisans  in  London,  times 
of,  860. 

Richelieu,  Cardinal,  his  policy,  129;  at  siege 
of  Rochelle,  129 ;  his  toleration  of  Hugue- 
nots, 124. 

Ridolfi,  agent  in  plots  against  life  of  Eliza- 
beth, 76. 

Riots  in  London  against  foreigners,  97 ;  in 
Norwich,  101;  in  Canterbury  Cathedral, 
125  and  note;  at  Norwich,  305;  in  London, 
366. 


448 


INDEX. 


liuche,  M.  de   la,  refugee    author,  239   and 

note. 
Kochelle,  sieges  of,  69, 129. 
Koniaiue,  Ilev.W.,322. 
Roman   Catholics  in   England,  75 ;   priests 

persecuted  at  the  French  Revolution,  346. 
Rorail  y  family,  the,  315,  33.5. 
l!os^,  liislinp  of,  plot  against  Elizabeth,  76. 
Ru.--sell,    Lady     Rachel,    her     descent,    314 

(noti-). 
Riivigny,  Marquis  de,  at  Greenwich,  208, 314 

and  note.     (See  Galway.,  Earl  of.) 
Rye,  landing  of  refugees  at,  SS ;  testimony  to 

their  good  character,  1S2  {note). 


Sacred  Armada,  SI,  S2,  US,  3S0. 

Sail-cloth  manufacture  inti'oduced,  133  and 
nute. 

Sailor-s  refugee,  179,  229,  277. 

Saintes,  gos'pellers  under  Palissy  at,  38,  39. 

Saintonge,  painful  incident  at,  148. 

Saint  Germain's,  treaty  of,  58. 

Sancerre,  siege  of,  69. 

Sandwich,  settlement  of  Flemings  at,  87, 91- 
93. 

Saurin,  Jacques,  refugee  pastor,  241. 

Saurin,  Irisli  .\ttorney  General,  319. 

Savoy,  Protestants  of,  aided  by  William  III., 
219. 

Savov,  Church  in  the,  Strajid,  248, 253  {note), 
271 ,  371. 

Schoeffer,  and  invention  of  printing,  15,17. 

Schomberg,  Marshal,  156,  IS:',  190  ;  cauiptiign 
in  Ireland,  2*11:  death  at  the  Hcyne, ".  16  ; 
Charles,  second  Duke  of,  21. i ;  JKnavu, 
third  duke,  in  Ireland,  214-15;  ia  Spain, 
221. 

Science,  refug.'e  men  of,  230,  323. 

Scotland,  Flemings  in,  109, 353  {notei ;  French 
refu'jiees  in,  208. 

Settlements  of  refugees.  (See  Flevdsh,  Ilu- 
(:tieiio'.-<,  and  Industni.) 

Sheffield,  settlement  of  Flemings  at,  106. 

Sieges  of  Huguenot  towns,  128,  129;  of  Ro- 
chelle,  129. 

Silk  manufacture  attempted  in  England,  258 ; 
establislied  by  the  French  refugees,  259  ;  at 
Canterbury  and  Norwich,  2C7-S. 

Soldiers,  Huguenot,  emigration  of,  179;  in 
army  of  William  III.,  189  ;  in  Ireland, 
211;  recruited  in  Switzerland,  213;  at  the 
Boyne,  215;  at  Athlono  and  Aughrim,217- 
18  ;  campaign  in  Savov,  210 ;  in  Spain, 
221 ;  in  the  Low  Countries,  22S. 

Southampton,  early  refugees  at,  115;  their 
church,  115-18;  influx  of  refugees,  276; 
church  of  "  God's  House,"  373 

Southwark,  Flemish  refugees  in,  95, 366-7. 

Spain  under  Philip  II.,  83;  modern  condi- 
tion, 340. 

Spinning  by  rollers,  invention  of,  by  Lewis 
Paul,  331. 

Spitalfields,  refugee  manufacturers  in,  259  ; 
chiu'clu's  in,  270;  hand-loom-weavers  of, 
324  ;  descendants  of  refugees  in,  334,  339. 

Steel  and  iron  manufacture-;  introduced  in 
England  by  refugees,  105, 360. 

Stonehouse,  I'lyiuouth,  French  church  at, 
276,  392. 


Strafford,  Earl  of,  encourages  linen  manufac- 
ture in  Ireland,  108. 
Surgeons,  refugee,  in  England,  238. 
Swallow  Street  French  church,  272,  372. 
Switzerland,  refugees  in,  171-3,  213. 

T. 

Taunton,  Frencli  refugees  at,  i.93 

Taxes  of  the  Roman  Cliancery,  25  {note). 

Thorney  Abbey,  French  church  at,  3!)6. 

Thorpe-le-Soken,  French  church  at,  277,  395. 

Threadneedle  Street,  French  clmrch  in,  114, 
270,  369. 

Throgmorton,  leader  of  conspiracy  at  Nor- 
wich, 101. 

Trade  in  French  goods,  256. 

Trades  established  by  refugees.  (Ste  Indus- 
tr;i-) 

Tours,  massacre  at,  57 ;  depopulation  of,  169. 

Trench,  family  of,  313. 

Trent,  Council  of,  58. 

Tyndale's  translation  of  Bible,  18  {noti)\ 
martyrdom,  23  {note). 

U. 

Undercroft,  French  church  of  the,  Canter- 
bury Cathedral,  122-3. 

V. 

Vassy,  massacre  of,  55. 

Vaudois,  massacre  of,  28 ;    Bible  committed 

to   memory  by  Vaudois  youth,  38  (note) ; 

crusade  against,  by  Louis  XIV.,  218. 
Vermuyden,  Dutcli    engineer   in  the  Fens, 

107, 
VignoUes,  family  of,  192  (note).,  302  and  note, 

304. 
Villars,  Marshal,  interview  with   Cavalier, 

224-5. 
Vitelli,  Chapin,  offers  to   assassinate  Queen 

Elizabeth,  77. 
Volumes    printed   in   fifteenth    centuiy,  2S 

{note). 

W. 

'  Walkers"  of  cloth,  Flemish   derivation  of 

the  word,  104  {note). 
Walloons.     (See  Fleming-':.) 
Wandsworth,  Flemish  gardens  at,  94;  man- 

uf.actures  at,  90 ;  French  church  at,  274. 
Waterford,  refugee  settlement  at,  3U0. 
William   III.  of  Orange,  179;    rerraits   his 

army  with  Huguenot  officers  .nnd  soldiers, 

188 ;  expedition  to  England,  io.") :  campaign 

in  Ireland,  211;  assists  tlie  1  rote  slants  in 

Siivoy,  219. 
Winchelsea,  settlement  of  i'efuge<s  at,  9i'. 
Wolsey,  Cardinal,  on  printing,  19  (   <:ti). 
Women,  sufferings    of   lluguenct,  14%  149 

(?io/f),  161, 167. 
Wool  of  England,  85,  352 ;  smuggling  of,  132, 

133  {note),  359. 
Worsted,  Flemish  settlement  at,  .353. 
Wyatt,  his  partnership  with  Lewis  I'aul,  328- 

83. 
Wyckliffe's  translations  of  Bible,  IS  (not<). 

Y. 

Yarmouth,  Flemish  fishery  at,  106. 


THE   END. 


Date  Due 

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